Credit card customers have been advised to take extra care in order to avoid identity fraud.
Detective Sergeant Rob Vick, of West Mercia Constabulary's Economic Crime Unit, told the Malvern Gazette that simple steps can be taken to ensure protection.
These include keeping bank account and credit card details secure, as well as being sure to cover keypads when entering PIN numbers.
"It is also crucial to dispose of any documents containing personal information, including bank statements, in a secure way as they can be potentially useful to a fraudster," said DS Vick, noting that identity theft and fraud cost the UK economy around £2 billion last year.
Research by the UK's fraud prevention service, Cifas, recently found that credit and debit card scams have been increasing.
Phishing scams, whereby card details are obtained by fraudsters, have risen by nearly 60 per cent over the last year, the body found.
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