St Andrew's Membership Services (StAMS), part of HBOS General Insurance, has launched an identity fraud product.

The company claims Identity Care is the first mainstream consumer product to deal with identity theft. It offers £25,000 legal cover, £25,000 to cover fraudulent credit and up to £1,000 of emergency assistance money. It will also offer help and legal advice to sort out problems raised by identity theft.

StAMS chief executive Colin Whitehair said: "While the finance industry is trying hard to combat this crime, identity fraud is causing consumers real misery ."