Identity theft is currently the fastest growing crime in
Great Britain. Your identity and personal information are valuable.
Criminals can find out your personal details and use them to open
bank accounts and get credit cards, loans, state benefits and
documents such as passports and driving licenses in your
name.
It is estimated that more than 100,000 people are affected by
identity theft in the UK each year, costing the British economy
over £1.3 billion annually.
This website has been produced by the
Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee,
a collaboration between UK financial bodies, government and the
police to combat the threat of identity theft. This site can help
you protect yourself, advises what to do if it happens to you and
suggests where to get further help.
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 to see which
financial organisations have accessed your details. It is
particularly helpful to check your personal credit file two to
three 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 The Identity and Passport Service or
DVLA respectively.
- 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 email purporting to be from a bona
fide institution which requests personal details,
get advice provided by
the banking industry.