Identity Theft
Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Criminals commit identity theft by
stealing your personal information. This is often done by taking documents from
your rubbish or by making contact with you and pretending to be from a
legitimate organisation.
Identity theft can result in fraud affecting your personal financial
circumstances, as well as costing government and financial services millions of
pounds a year. If your identity is stolen, you may have difficulty getting
loans, credit cards or a mortgage until the matter is sorted out.
The following tips will help you protect your identity and prevent criminals
from committing fraud in your name:
Keep your
personal information secure:
Your identity and
personal information are valuable assets. Keep them secure.
Regularly obtain a
copy of your personal credit file from one of the three credit reference
agencies (see below) to see which financial organisations have accessed your
details. It is particularly helpful to check your personal credit file 2-3
months after you have moved house.
Be extra careful
if you live in a property where other people could have access to your mail. In
some cases a bank or credit card company could arrange for you to collect
valuable items such as new plastic cards or cheque books from a local branch.
If you suspect
your mail is being stolen, contact the Royal Mail Customer Enquiry Line: 08457
740 740. Check whether a mail redirection order has been made in your name
without your knowledge.
If you move house,
tell your bank, card issuer and all other organisations that you deal with
immediately. Ask the Royal Mail to redirect any mail from your old address to
your new one for at least a year.
Consider using the
Mailing Preference Service
to limit the amount of unwanted mail you receive.
Keep all your
plastic cards safe
If your plastic
cards are lost or stolen, cancel them immediately. Keep a note of the emergency
numbers you should call. Further details can be found at the
Card Watch website.
When giving your
card details or personal information over the phone, Internet or in a shop, make
sure other people cannot hear or see your personal information.
Never carry
documents or plastic cards unnecessarily. When not in use keep them in a safe
place.
Keep your
documents safe.
Keep your personal
documents in a safe place, preferably in a lockable drawer or cabinet at home.
Consider storing valuable financial documents such as share certificates with
your bank.
If your
passport
or
driving licence
has been lost or stolen contact the issuing organisation immediately.
Don't throw away
entire bills, receipts, credit-or debit-card slips, bank statements or even
unwanted post in your name. Destroy unwanted documents, preferably by using a
shredder.
Check statements
as soon as they arrive. If any unfamiliar transactions are listed, contact the
company concerned immediately.
Keep your
passwords and PINs safe
Never give
personal or account details to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly. Be
suspicious even if they claim to be from your bank or the police. Ask for their
phone number, check it is genuine and, if so, call them back. Be aware that a
bank will never ask for your PIN or for a whole security number or password.
Keep them secure.
Don't use the same
password for more than one account and never use banking passwords for any other
websites. Using different passwords increases security and makes it less likely
that someone could access any other accounts.
Keep your
passwords safe and never record or store them in a manner which leaves them open
to theft, such as in your purse or wallet.
If you receive a
suspicious e-mail purporting to be from a bona fide institution which requests
personal details, click here for
advice provided by the
banking industry.
Things to look out
for:
You may
become a victim of identity theft if:
-
you have lost or had stolen important
documents such as your passport or driving licence
-
post expected from your bank has not
arrived or you are receiving no post at all
You may
already be a victim of identity theft if:
-
you identify entries on your personal
credit file from organisations you do not normally deal with
-
items have appeared on your bank or
credit-card statements that you do not recognise
-
you applied for a state benefit but are
told that you are already claiming
-
you receive bills, invoices or receipts
addressed to you for goods or services you havent asked for
-
you have been refused a financial
service, such as a credit card or a loan, despite having a good credit
history
-
a mobile-phone contract has been set up
in your name without your knowledge
-
you have received letters from
solicitors or debt collectors for debts that arent yours
-
financial institutions that you do not
normally deal with contact you to chase an outstanding debt.
Your credit report
Obtain a copy of your credit file from
the following credit reference agencies, it costs as little as £2:
Look at your credit file in detail. If
you find entries relating to organisations you do not normally deal with,
contact them immediately. Keep a record of all your actions, including who you
spoke to and when, and copies of letters sent and received. The credit reference
agencies may be able to help you with this.
If you believe you
are a victim, report the matter to your local police station and ask for a
reference number. For details of which police station to report to, visit
http://www.police.uk.
Report all lost or stolen documents,
(passports, driving licences, credit cards, chequebooks, etc
Notify
Royal Mail
if you suspect mail theft or that a mail redirection has been fraudulently set
up on your address they have an investigations unit who will be able to help.
Consider
registering with the CIFAS Protective Registration Service. CIFAS Protective
Registration may be placed by individuals against their own address when they
have good reason to believe it may be used by a fraudster, for example, when a
passport has been stolen. For a full explanation of the CIFAS Protective
Registration Service, go to
http://www.cifas.org.uk/
and follow the link to Protective Registration. Alternatively you can phone 0870
010 2091 (Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat 9am-5pm)
Who Can Help
To find out how to protect yourself from
becoming a victim of identity theft, or to learn more about fraud prevention in
general - these
organisations provide general advice and information about fraud relating to
consumer finance.
Information about
identity fraud and how to apply for protective registration
http://www.identityfraud.org.uk/
General fraud prevention
The following sites provide general
information and advice on fraud and how to protect yourself from becoming a
victim:
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