Victims of Identity Theft

There is no typical profile of a victim - they are usually chosen at random, but if you have good credit history and are not careful with your personal details, you may be more vulnerable than others.

Click here to view some case histories

Avoid Being A Victim

There are common tactics used by fraudsters, and by following the simple advice below you can minimise the risk of your personal details being stolen and used fraudulently. In all cases, of course, there are many steps you can take to offer the first line of defence against the fraudster. Begin by asking yourself some questions:

Ask yourself: “Who is the call/email/letter from and what are they offering?” If it seems too good to be true, that is because it probably is!
Have you initiated any contact with the person or company that is speaking to you? If not, what details might they reasonably be expected to ask for?
What precisely are they asking for? Your service providers should never contact you and request passwords or account details, for example.
If you have received an email, phone call or equivalent – purporting to be from a company you do business with – and you are unsure of the credibility of this contact, make sure that you cease interaction immediately and contact the company yourself using their website (always type the address into the address bar yourself) or contact numbers provided to you on their official documents. They will soon be able to confirm the reliability (or not) of any contact you have received.

Regarding documents, remember:

Always take particular care of your handbag or wallet. Be especially careful with your credit and debit cards. Try not to keep them together or have them all with you at the same time and never let them out of your sight. Also, avoid carrying documents such as passports unless necessary and never keep them in the same bag as your wallet.
Shred all documents when you dispose of them. These can range from credit card or bank statements to letters from doctors, employers and indeed anything bearing your full name and address or signature. Receipts can also be valuable to a fraudster, so take care to shred these too.
Examine your bank and credit card statements carefully. Keep all your receipts until you have checked each one individually against the statements. This will help you to monitor your account.
Keep an eye on your bills and statements and make a note of when they should be arriving. If your bills or statements don't arrive, inform the organisation concerned.
Check your credit reference agency file regularly for unfamiliar items and take prompt action if you spot anything strange.
If possible do not leave personal documents in your vehicle.
Redirect ALL post promptly when moving house or business address.
Don’t forget to keep your home secure, and keep your personal documents locked away. Increasingly it is these documents that are being searched for by burglars rather than TVs and computers. Theft or loss of documents such as your driving licence or passport should be reported to the relevant bodies and the police immediately.

Credit Cards

Treat your cards as if they were cash and sign any new cards as soon as you receive them.
Keep a secure list of all your credit cards, separately (along with account details), so you can notify card issuers quickly in the event that they are lost or stolen.
Consider making use of a card protection scheme - for a small fee you can register all your bank and credit cards with the scheme. In the event your cards are lost or stolen, they will contact the card suppliers on your behalf.

Changing address or travelling

Contact your local authority and enrol on the Electoral Register (also known as the Voters’ Roll) at your new address as soon as you can.
Don't tempt those moving into your old address - a replacement storecard or a mail order catalogue arriving at your old address is a gift to a fraudster.
Treat your plastic cards, travellers cheques and passports as securely as you would cash. Always keep them in your hand luggage when travelling - suitcases and rucksacks may go out of sight.
If you plan to be away for some time, inform your bank and other relevant organisations.
Make sure any post sent to your address is dealt with securely. Consider contacting the Royal Mail about its 'Keepsafe' service.

At work, also remember that most employers have to store some personal data relating to their staff: double check that your records are kept in a secure location. Your details at work should only be accessed by a few other employees for legitimate reasons.

Security tips for your PC/Laptop

Where possible, try to use the most up-to-date version of your internet browser. Check that the security settings and browser preferences are at an optimum level. Although most cookies are legitimate, some may contain spyware programs (software that can monitor the actions of a computer user), so only accept cookies that you recognise and want to install.
Consider installing 'personal firewall' software and anti-virus programmes on your computer to deter hackers and harmful viruses. Don’t forget to update this software regularly. Anti-spyware software can also help protect against harmful spyware and Trojan programs.
Ensure your PC is protected by keeping up to date with patches and fixes (most PCs can be enabled to do this automatically).
Consider encrypting any sensitive information you keep on a PC or laptop - many well-known software companies offer free downloads to help you with encryption.
If you use wireless connections (such as Wi-fi or Bluetooth), avoid connecting to non-secure access points, especially in public places, and if you do, be wary of sending your personal details. Always use a password / number to protect your device, and keep it in non-discoverable mode when not using it.
If you use internet banking, try to use a secure computer. Computers for communal use (for example in an internet café) may not be as secure as you think.
Avoid making online purchases in public wi-fi zones or internet cafes.
Be careful if you store personal information in your mobile phone, organiser, laptop computer, or any other portable storage device. It may be compromised if stolen.
Even after you have deleted files on your PC/laptop, they can still be accessed. Consider obtaining a clean-up utility to overwrite deleted files. This is especially important if you are discarding old equipment. The only way to prevent your data from being retrieved by a fraudster is physical destruction of the equipment. Most local authorities offer a service to do this.

Of course, in such a data-driven society, there will be times when your data will be asked for, but always remember these particular points:

Treat your personal data as 'confidential' - don't give it away easily.
Always ask yourself these three questions: “Who precisely is asking for our details? What details are they asking for? And why do they need these details?”
If you receive letters or emails requesting personal details, such as your PIN numbers, passwords, pass codes etc. remember that a legitimate financial institution would never request these details from their customers in this way. If you do not believe the request is genuine, do not reply.
Avoid disclosing or writing down any PIN numbers or passwords, and try to avoid using the obvious examples (e.g. dates of birth, mother’s maiden name, etc)
Don’t give your personal details to callers, charity collectors or “researchers” in the street. Check whether they are truly who they claim to be before giving them any information. Be just as careful when taking telephone calls. Fraudsters may try to dupe you into believing they are from banks or other companies. If you give them your account and security details they could run up huge debts in your name.

Advice for Victims

If you have become a victim of fraud or identity theft, don't panic! There is help and advice available. You will not normally be liable for debts accrued by a fraudster using your identity, but it is down to you as the victim to sort out the mess caused by them.

It is unlikely that you have been targeted personally. Experience suggests that fraudsters target their victims at random and move on once they discover they can't get any more credit in their name.

If you are a victim - act quickly! The following tips advise you on how to go about fixing the damage done by the fraudster and how to avoid becoming a victim again.

If any of your cards (credit or debit cards, charge cards, cheque guarantee cards) or cheques are lost or stolen, inform the issuer as soon as possible. Follow up telephone calls with written notification.
If you receive bills or statements that are addressed to you but you know don't belong to you, contact the organisations concerned as soon as possible to alert them to the fraud.
If you see transactions on your statements that aren't yours, tell the relevant organisations, for example your bank or building society, immediately.
Request a copy of your credit file/report from the credit reference agencies - Experian, Equifax and Callcredit - to check the extent of the fraudster's activity.
Among other data, your credit file will show all credit accounts opened in your name, plus any recent applications for credit made using your details. If you spot any accounts or applications you did not make, contact the organisation straight away and request they remove the data from your credit file. You may request a note be added to your credit file to state you have been the victim of identity theft. Some credit reference agencies offer services dedicated to victims of identity fraud and will contact the organisations involved on your behalf.
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 (you) 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. 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, depending on their advice, to your local police station.
Keep a record of everything! Recovering from identity theft can be a long and complicated process, so make sure that you: keep copies of all correspondence and note who you have spoken to and when; send all letters by recorded or special delivery and keep track of how much time you spend dealing with the problem.

Consider the CIFAS Protective Registration service to guard against further impersonation attempts. The service works by registering your details on the CIFAS database to make our Members aware of the problems you are experiencing. Once registered, any applications received by our Members using your address will be checked to confirm they are genuine, and not from a third party attempting an impersonation. This may, in some cases, lead to a slight delay in any applications you do make (while your details are verified).