McGowan urged to insure his identity

Impressionist Alistair McGowan has been urged to check that his identity is safe, and to consider taking out insurance to protect it.

The comic has been fronting a £4 million TV and press advertising campaign by Capital One on the dangers of identity theft, but found himself a victim of a tabloid sting.

In the adverts McGowan poses as an identity thief, prompting the Daily Mirror to try and steal his identity.

The paper succeeded rather well in its efforts, finding a set of items providing details on his life, including bank cards, left in a bin bag outside his house.

In response, insurer More Than has decided to cheekily ask if the Capital One frontman would like to take out identity theft insurance with them.

Capital One's Identity Theft Assistance is offered free with the its No Hassle Platinum Card.

It offers information and advice to help prevent, spot and resolve identity theft, including: access to its helpline seven days a week, where you can speak to a specialised identity theft assistance agent and specialist agents to help resolve the case and regain your good name, whether or not the Capital One credit card is affected.

However, More Than believes that McGowan would have been better off taking out its Identity Theft Solution product, rather than relying on the Capital One Identity Theft Assistance.

David Pitt, head of insurance at More Than, has written to the impressionist saying: "We were concerned to read the article on the front page of the Daily Mirror dated 10 March in which they reported that they'd discovered a 'treasure trove of personal details in a black big bag' outside your home.

"As I'm sure you're aware this could have led to a number of problems should a fraudster have got hold of the information and stolen your identity."

More Than goes on to describe the identity theft prevention service offered free on credit cards as little more than "tea and sympathy". It said that adding £1.50 a month to one of its home insurance policy can provide greater levels of cover - including £50,000 of legal expenses.

A survey by Which? recently found that one Briton in four has either been a victim of identity fraud, or knows someone who has.

Research by Capital One found that 77 per cent of people are concerned about identity theft and 22 per cent would like expert help to protect themselves from identity theft.