Organisations have been urged to take data protection seriously as it emerged identity fraud has soared by two thirds in the last year.

In excess of 6,000 victims got in touch with credit information firm Experian last year, in comparison with just 3,500 in 2006, with certain areas of the UK most at risk, a report said.

London remains the country's ID fraud capital, with residents nearly twice as likely to fall victim than the rest of the population.

Residents in well-off Kensington, south-west London, are three-and-a-half times more likely to suffer identity fraud compared with the UK average.

Those living in London's Richmond-upon-Thames, Putney, Wimbledon and the Kings Road area in Chelsea are also among those at highest risk, Experian said.

The postcode enclave of SW16 6, centred on College Gardens in Tooting, south London, is almost five times more likely than the UK average to become a victim of identity fraud.

Outside of London, postcodes where the risk of fraud is more than four times the UK average include CB23 5 (Great Cambourne near Cambridge), NN4 5 (Far Cotton, Northampton) and TS17 5 (Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees).

The typical identity fraud victim is aged between 26 and 45 and earning more than £50,000 a year, according to Experian.

Those who rent are also at higher risk of identify fraud because they tend to share mail boxes and move house more frequently, providing more opportunity for their credit histories to be misused by fraudsters, the report said.

The Information Commissioner's Office said protecting personal information "has never been so important".

A spokesman said: "Almost every day we give out our personal details which can leave us open to risks like identity fraud. We encourage individuals to think about the ways in which they can protect their personal information, which include shredding old documents and using different passwords and PINs for different accounts.

"However, it is also important that organisations which process personal information take their data protection responsibilities seriously. They should take appropriate steps to keep the personal information they hold secure."

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