Birmingham has been named as the worst city for credit and debit card fraud in the UK, according to new research.
The 'second city' is home to more card fraudsters and ID thieves than anywhere else.
And Brummies are most likely to have their cards stolen via the Royal Mail postal system, or personal details taken via internet.
A staggering 34% of Birmingham's residents claim to have been a victim of credit or debit card fraud.
And most of the victims didn't even know they had been targeted until they were notified by their bank.
The poll of 5,000 people, conducted by anti-fraud insurers CPP,revealed that Plymouth is the second worst place to live if you want to protect your finances and identity.
Just under a third of people living in the south west city have had their credit/debit cards stolen.
Zoe Manton head of Card Protection at CPP said: "Card fraud is a nasty business that is still very common despite the successful introduction of Chip and PIN.
"Although Chip and PIN makes life more difficult for thieves in shops, they can still use stolen cards over the internet, abroad or on the telephone.
"In the first six months of 2006 card fraud cost the industry £209.3m. In 2007, we expect this figure to increase slightly driven by fraudsters using stolen UK cards abroad where Chip and PIN is not yet up and running and online banking fraud.
"However, the good news is we expect to see loses from counterfeit cards and in shops further decline."
The third worst place to live for card fraud in the UK is Cambridge - half of victims said their credit or debit card went missing; the other half said the fraudster intercepted their mail.
Belfast and London also appear in the top five of places where people need to be more vigilant with their belongings and their identities.
TOP 10 UK LOCATIONS FOR CREDIT/DEBIT CARD FRAUD:
1. Birmingham - 34.48 per cent
2. Plymouth - 30 per cent
3. Cambridge - 28.57 per cent
4. Belfast - 28.5 per cent
5. London - 28.29 per cent
6. Leeds - 28.1 per cent
7. Liverpool - 27.03 per cent
8. Manchester - 26.32 per cent
9. Norwich - 25 per cent
10. Aberdeen - 24.3 per cent
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