20% give pin number to a friend

A study by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk found that 18 per cent of the 1,576 people interviewed used their birthday as their pin code, with a further 13 per cent keeping their pin written down somewhere in their wallet, making it an easy target for thieves.

Of those who used their birthdays, 67 per cent said they "need a memorable number".

Twenty-one per cent admitted that they had given their pin to a friend and 3 per cent to a work colleague. Of those in relationships, 64 per cent admitted that their partner knew their pin number. Nine per cent of those interviewed had forgotten their pin in the past when trying to buy something.

Although 11 per cent of those surveyed had been the victims of identity fraud in the past, the study suggested that poor choice of pins was indicative of a general lax attitude towards credit card security in general. Just over half of those with multiple credit cards had the same number for every card, despite the obvious security risk.

The study comes at a time when personal information is more freely available than ever. With millions of people in the UK using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, it is becoming ever more easy to obtain data.

Farhad Farhadi, personal finance expert at MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said: "I was surprised to see just how many people have their pin number as their birthday. I would strongly advise against this. You need to select a number that is memorable to you, but not known by other people, or just learn the pin that the bank provides you with.

"Consumers who pay for items on a credit or debit card with a pin are just as vulnerable to identity theft as people who sign for payments," he added.

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