The media are filled with reports of people who have been victims of identity theft, where cyber criminals access personal information and use it to acquire credit in the innocent person’s name. This information can also be used to access banking and financial information, causing thousands of people to lose large amounts of money in a very short period of time. Although there is nothing you can do to prevent the risk of identity theft completely, there are many things you can do to reduce the risk. We have compiled an informative article with steps you can take to increase your online safety, as well as provided some information about what to do if you become a victim.
How To Protect Your Personal Information
- Often times we enter information onto the internet without even thinking twice about what it might be used for. The first step you need to take is to be aware of what types of information you are entering and make sure you are not divulging too much personal information to strangers.
- Most websites dealing with financial transactions (other than online purchasing) require you to enter your mother’s maiden name and your date of birth to access the site. Although you might think these are fail safe measures, stop and think about how easy it would be for someone to discover these things about you. Consider using a different maiden name in order to make it more difficult for hackers.
- If you use social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook, keep your profile or page personal and do not “friend” anyone you do not personally know.
- For every website account you use, choose a different password. Having the same password across many different sites increases the chances of cyber criminals gaining access to them.
- Never write your usernames or passwords down, no matter how trustworthy the people around you are. Instead, think about using software that includes a password manager.
- If you are accessing a site that requires you to enter in personal information, make sure you are doing so on a secure site. These are denoted by an https:// web address, or a padlock.
- Use a separate email account and server for websites like banking or sites where you make purchases. Keep this separate from your personal email in case hackers access it.
- Emails from companies you do not associate with or purchase from should be treated with suspicion. Do not click on them no matter how legitimate they appear.
- Remember that no legitimate business, including your bank, will ask for your password or other personal information via email or telephone. If you receive a call from someone claiming to be a representative of these types of companies, hang up immediately and call the business to warn them of a potential phishing scam.
- Invest in a document shredder for your personal use. Any bank or credit card statements should be shredded, or any paperwork that contains any information that can identify you on it. These can be found relatively inexpensively at office supply stores.
- Go through your banking or credit card statements every month to make sure there is no suspicious activity on them. If there is, contact your card provider or bank immediately.
- If you notice any credit cards missing, report them stolen as soon as possible. This will protect you from any charges made after the card was reported stolen.
- Regularly access your credit reports to make sure nothing untoward has shown up on them.
- Do not carry your driver’s license or passport with you unless you specifically need them.
- Make sure you are a registered voter at your address. Often cyber criminal will register to vote in your name at a different address.
- If you suspect your mail has been tampered with or is missing, notify Royal Mail immediately.
What to do if your Identity Has Been Stolen
Although the above tips can make your online activity more secure, there is no fail-proof way of making sure you are never the victim of a cyber crime. If you notice any suspicious activity indicating your identity has been used without your knowledge, here are the first steps you should take.
- Get in touch with Action Fraud immediately. They can offer you support and guidance. Other helpful organisations are e-Crime Wales, Getsafeonline, and Police Central e-Crime Unit. They can give you advice and help you through the process of reporting and dealing with the theft of your identity.
- Contact the help desk at CIFAS Protective Registration. They will place a warning notice on your accounts in order to alert organisations that you have been a victim of fraud.
- Contact your banking and credit card companies to report the crime. They can freeze your accounts so that they are unable to be used.
- Change all of your passwords on any website you use.
- Get copies of your credit reports from all three reporting agencies ( CallCredit, Experian, and Equifax).
- Let the Royal Mail know in case your mail has been intercepted by cyber criminals.
Although no one likes to think that they will become the victim of an identity theft, it is extremely important to make sure any information you release online is a secure as possible. With a few simple steps, you will hopefully never have to worry about your information falling into the wrong hands.
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Do you have any tips or advice for identity protection? Why not tell us about them, by leaving a comment below.
