Last week we reported on the rising number of identity fraud cases, with ID theft now threatening to become more mainstream as the number of people targeted increases.
There are a variety of measures we can all take to minimise the chances of getting caught out by ID fraud, such as these:
- Always be wary when companies contact you unexpectedly to ask for personal information.
- Check all of your bank statements (or your online banking) for unusual transactions.
- Regularly check your credit report for anything unusual
- Keep debit and credit cards in view at all times and watch anyone holding them for swiping.
- Always make sure that you hide your PIN when entering it in a shop or at a cash machine.
- Keep as little paperwork with your bank details on as possible, and always shred them before you throw away.
- Use different PINs and passwords for different accounts.
- Protect your post. Don’t leave any of it lying around, and make sure the Royal Mail is informed immediately of any changes of address, so that post can be redirected to the correct destination.
- Be careful with phone numbers, birthdays, addresses and other personal information when using social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.
We’ve also posted some other identity fraud prevention tips previously here on Money Watch.
photo credit: comedy_nose