Protect Your Identity Online

As online sales become more popular, the treat of identity theft has increased. This increase has led to more and more people falling victim to identity theft. People have become less careful with their personal information, and have suffered the consequences of this.

When someone gains enough of your personal information, the crime of identity theft can occur. Bank loans, bank accounts, credit cards and much more can be obtained in your name. The thief then use these account to the maximum leaving you to pick up the bill. You are only aware of the crime when you receive a call from the bank or credit card company. This is when the real trouble starts as you need to prove your innocents. Thief is next to impossible to catch and is probably move onto his next victim. In the mean time you have a real battle on your hands, and a big bill which is in your name. Your 1st step should be to contact the authorities

Things Identity Thief's Do With Your Identity

Apply for a credit card in your name;

Open a bank or building society account in your name;

Identity thief becomes possible when you become to free with your information. Obviously you will need divulge some personal information when signing up to certain products online, but there are steps you can take when to protect yourself.

Keep All Your Passwords Safe - Don't write them down, ensure its something you can remember and completely different from online passwords. Try not to make it too easy, and use a combination of letters and numbers which are unrelated. The worst thing you can do is to write it down on some paper and then loose it, or have it stored as a file on your computer and them your computer gets hacked.

Never answer yes to any popup screens when you visit a website, asking if you wish to save your password. If you choose to save your password it will be stored in a file system which can be accessed by hackers to steal your identity.

Ensure you know who your are dealing with online before you enter your personal information and credit card details. If its a company you know and trust then you should be fine, but there are new website going up all the time and they look very professional and genuine.

Watch out for phishing, this is one of the easiest ways to obtain your identity. Basically you receive an email from a thief pretending to be from your bank or credit card company. These emails look genuine and very realistic. The email will say that they need you to update some information and that you need to click on a link to do this. The link in the website will take you to a fake website which will take your personal information. Your bank, building society or credit car company will never ask you to enter your card details online. Don't fall for this trick.

Personal Credit File

Obtain a copy of your personal credit file on regular occasions from one of the three credit reference agencies to see which financial organisations have accessed your details. If you can you should check   your personal credit file 2-3 months after you have moved house.

Access To Your Mail

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.

Your Credit Cards/Debit Cards

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.

Your Personal Documents

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 license has been lost or stolen contact the issuing organization 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.

Deceased Family Members

Criminals sometimes use the identities of deceased persons to commit fraud, which can be very distressing for those close to the deceased. One way of reducing the chances of this happening is to register with services that remove the deceased’s details from mailing lists.

The websites below offer deceased person mail preference services and provide further information on this issue:

What If It Happens To You

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 haven’t 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 aren’t 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:

Call Credit – http://www.callcredit.plc.uk/

Equifax – http://www.equifax.co.uk/

Experian – http://www.experian.co.uk/

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 of identity fraud which has involved the use of plastic cards (such as credit and debit cards), online banking, or cheques, the matter should be reported by the account holder directly to the financial institution concerned. They will then be responsible for undertaking further verification and investigation, and, as appropriate, reporting cases of criminal activity directly to the police where they will be recorded and subsequent investigation considered. It should be noted that this process is applicable to England, Wales and Northern Ireland only.

These changes to the reporting of plastic card, online banking and cheque fraud were introduced by the Home Office on 1 April 2007, following discussion with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the financial sector, to reduce the level of bureaucracy involved in fraud recording, and to streamline the reporting and initial investigation of such frauds.

Where the incident has not involved the use of plastic cards, online banking or cheques then you should report the matter to the relevant organisation in the first instance and, dependent on their advice, to your local police station.

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:
Obtaining your credit file
You can obtain your credit file from any of the three credit reference agencies listed below. Some also offer consumers secure online access to their credit files.

Call Credit – http://www.callcredit.plc.uk/

Follow the appropriate consumer information links to obtain your credit file from Call Credit.

Equifax – http://www.equifax.co.uk/

Follow the appropriate consumer information links to obtain your credit file from Equifax.

Experian – http://www.experian.co.uk/

Follow the appropriate consumer information links to obtain your credit file from Experian.

Consumer finance identity theft information
These organisations provide general advice and information about fraud relating to consumer finance.


APACS - http://www.apacs.org.uk/

Information and advice to stay safe online http://www.banksafeonline.org.uk

British Bankers' Association – http://www.bba.org.uk/

General consumer advice for banking-related products and services


Financial Services Authority – http://www.fsa.gov.uk/

Information on finance-related scams and swindles http://www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk/scams

CardWatch – http://www.cardwatch.org.uk/

Information and tips on using your plastic cards safely
CIFAS – The UK's Fraud Prevention Service – http://www.cifas.org.uk/

Information about identity fraud and how to apply for protective registration
http://www.identityfraud.org.uk/

Reporting the theft or loss of mail and document
If you lose any important mail or documents, you should notify the following organisations:
Royal Mail – http://www.royalmail.com/

Royal Mail Customer Services provides a host of options to re-direct your mail and to report the loss or theft of any mail. Follow the link for Customer Service

Identity and Passport Service – http://www.ips.gov.uk/

Information about lost or stolen passports
Information about identity cards and biometric passports
Identity and Passport Service news page – latest information about the Identity and Passport Service and its anti-fraud initiatives
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency – http://www.dvla.gov.uk/
What to do if your driving licence has been lost, stolen, destroyed or defaced
www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/applydl.htm#dup_licence
Frequently Asked Questions – Lost Documents
www.dvla.gov.uk/faq/faq_lost_documents.htm

General fraud prevention
The following sites provide general information and advice on fraud and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim:

Home Office – http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/

Fraud information page
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/fraud/

Fraud Reduction website – http://www.uk-fraud.info/

The Fraud Reduction website is published by the National Working Group on Fraud on behalf of the UK Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO – http://www.acpo.police.uk/)This website deals primarily with commercial fraud in a policing context. The information contained in these pages is intended to provide advice for individuals and businesses on how to recognise fraud, how to avoid it through preventative measures, and how to respond to suspected frauds.
Crimestoppers – http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/

Details of how to report crimes, with the option of reporting anonymously
Foreign & Commonwealth Office – http://www.fco.gov.uk/

Know before you go – travel advice section – tips for keeping your documents and money safe whilst travelling www.fco.gov.uk/knowbeforeyougo

Get Safe Online – http://www.getsafeonline.org

Advice on how to protect yourself against internet threats
Please note the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee takes no responsibility for the information provided in external websites.