Six simple steps to protect yourself from ID fraud

10:39am Thursday 9th October 2008

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IDENTITY fraud is a growing problem within the UK and this area is no exception. Identity fraud occurs when a person’s identity is taken and used in criminal activity to obtain goods or services by deception, usually involving stolen or forged identity documents.

Rob Vick, Detective Sergeant in the Economic Crime Unit, said: “Identity theft and identity fraud cost the UK economy in the region of £2 billion in 2007 and are definitely not victimless crimes. Identity theft and fraud can be a harrowing and stressful experience for the victim.

"The good news is that there are a few simple precautions you can take to help prevent your identity from being stolen. Keeping all your personal information secure, including your bank and card details, is vitally important. Think before you give this information to a third party and ask who is asking and why they need it.

"It is also crucial to dispose of any documents containing personal information, including bank statements, in a secure way as they can be potentially useful to a fraudster.”

These six simple steps will help keep your finances secure.

1 Memorise your PIN as quickly as possible.

Memorise the number as quickly as you can and destroy the hard copy you receive from your bank. If you find it difficult to remember a random four-digit number, then most banks and building societies will now allow you to change it to a number of your choice. However, take care not to choose a PIN which would be obvious to people who know you even vaguely.

2 Cover the keypad when entering your PIN number.

When using your credit or debit card at a point-of-sale or at a cashpoint, take care to ensure that no-one can see your PIN as you input it. It is NOT silly to cover the pad, even if you think no-one is in the vicinity. Unscrupulous people have been known to set up cameras to obtain this information.

3 Do not hand over your card to the sales person.

When using your credit or debit card at a point of sale, whenever possible do not hand your card to the sales person. If you are required to hand it over, then do not let it out of your sight. If it disappears beneath the counter or into another room, ask for it back immediately. There have been recent incidents involving large numbers of credit cards which were compromised by unscrupulous staff at filling stations. The information obtained was then used to create ‘cloned’ cards, which were subsequently used to obtain goods.

4 Ensure you have adequate security when using online banking facilities.

If you use an online banking service, make sure your computer is equipped with the software necessary to protect your personal information. As a minimum, your computer should be protected by a ‘firewall’, a ‘virus checker’ and ‘ad-aware’ software. If you are making purchases online, use PayPal or a similarly established company to process your payment.

5 Do not hand over your card details or PIN number to a third party.

Your bank or building society will NEVER ask you to provide details of your PIN or of any password associated with your account. For security reasons, they may ask personal information about you, but never about your account. Beware of ‘phishing’, a name used to describe the efforts of criminals who send emails and messages, purporting to be from your bank or building society, in an effort to coerce you into providing details of your accounts, including PIN numbers and passwords.

6 Use a shredder.

All correspondence relating to your finances should be shredded when no longer required. This should include any junk mail you receive which contains application forms for credit card accounts which are pre-printed with your name and address. It is not uncommon for criminals to search dustbins in order to obtain confidential financial information.

If you do suspect you are a victim of identity theft or fraud, advice is available. Contact the organisation concerned straight away and report the crime to the police. In addition, obtain a copy of your credit file from a credit reference agency.

For more information on identity fraud and how to guard against it please visit West Mercia Constabulary’s website at www.westmercia.police.uk.