Shock as ID is found at festival

A Pickworth woman is urging others to take extra care after her stolen driving licence turned up having being used to commmit ID fraud.
Georgia Burrows with her replacement licence. EMN-160209-123731001Georgia Burrows with her replacement licence. EMN-160209-123731001
Georgia Burrows with her replacement licence. EMN-160209-123731001

Freelance journalist Georgia Burrows, 21, of Pickworth has recounted the cautionary tale after her handbag was stolen while she was still a student in Newcastle in May.

The Standard was called last week by a Good Samaritan who had found a copy of Georgia’s licence in a field after the Leeds Festival the previous weekend.

He had made a Google search and came across stories written by Georgia for The Standard, hoping to reunite her with the licence. But Georgia had been nowhere near the event, saying: “It is my ID but I have no idea how it got to the Leeds Festival.

“My handbag, with the ID inside, was stolen in Newcastle in May so I can only assume it is that ID that was being used, but I have asked him to destroy it for me.”

However the fear then arose that this could be one of many copies of the ID card which could be in circulation, used to set up fake accounts or other illegal activity.

Georgia warned people to take extra care. She said: “When I got my ID stolen I declared it as such, and have checked my bank account and everything is OK.”

A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said: “Identity theft causes untold misery and can last many years. Report all lost or stolen documents immediately to the relevant organisation. If you suspect your details are being used fraudulently, contact the relevant organisation immediately and then contact Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre on 0300 123 2040.”