Younger people and men are most at risk of card and ID fraud due to a blasé attitude to the risks involved, research from Saga Personal Finance has found.

According to the report from Saga, 94% of people have a credit or debit card and 86% have up to four cards. However, 55% carry all their cards round at once, increasing the chances of loss and risk of card fraud.

Of those aged 18 to 35 years old, 22% use their second card less than once a year, compared to 16% of the rest of the population. Long periods of inactivity mean card holders are less likely to realise if a card is missing or check statements to see if it has been used fraudulently, according to Saga.

A slightly more blasé attitude to lost or stolen cards was highlighted among those aged under 50 years old, with 68% of those that have lost or had cards stolen in the past saying they reported the incident as soon as they realised it had happened, compared to 78% of over 50 year olds. Women (75%) also tend to be more careful than men (68%), according to the study. This trend also applies to keeping an eye on cards as 88% of 18 to 34 year olds don’t object if their card is taken out of sight while paying a bill, while 45% of over 55 year olds would make a fuss.

Andrew Goodsell, chief executive of Saga Group, said: “Our study shows a worrying trend that men and younger people are generally less concerned about ID fraud than their older counterparts, and are not taking the steps to prevent fraudulent activity. “Prevention is always better than cure, and we urge everyone to be cautious when using and handing over credit cards to strangers because fraud is on the increase.”