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Are you being deceived?
Fraudsters are not easy to recognise: it could be the polite insurance salesman who calls at your house or that familiar looking man in the pub who is willing to let you in on a sure fire thing. It may even be someone whom you know well and would not consider in any way to be a criminal.
Essentially, the fraudster aims to convince you that giving your money to him is perfectly reasonable - be it for an investment, a purchase, a business proposition or whatever.
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Your identity
Your identity is a valuable commodity - you need it to function in everyday life. You need evidence of who you are to open bank accounts, obtain credit cards, finance, loans and mortgages, to obtain goods or services, or to claim benefits.
But you may not be the only person using your own personal details. Your identity can be stolen and used in a variety of ways.
Fraudsters can impersonate you and take out various forms of credit using your good name. They can even take over your existing bank accounts by pretending to be you.
All the fraudster needs is a few of your details. A document bearing your name and/or your address makes it even easier.
This phenomenon is commonly known as identity theft (or identity fraud) and is the fastest growing type of fraud in the UK.
- Identity Theft - (also known as impersonation fraud) is the misappropriation of the identity (such as the name, date of birth, current address or previous addresses) of another person, without their knowledge or consent. These identity details are then used to obtain goods and services in that person's name.
- Identity Fraud - is the use of a misappropriated identity in criminal activity, to obtain goods or services by deception. This usually involves the use of stolen or forged identity documents such as a passport or driving licence.
Identity theft and Identity Fraud are definitely not a victimless crimes. In 2007 alone, CIFAS identified and protected over 65,000 victims of identity theft (update to 2009 figs).
Identity theft can be a harrowing experience for the victim. It can be months before the fraudster's actions are discovered, and in some cases it can take just as long to sort out the mess left behind.
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Don't panic!
There are measures you can take to reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim, and if your identity is hijacked, there is help and advice available. There are a few simple precautions you can take to help prevent your identity from being used in this way:
Protect your personal details and think before you give them away: Who precisely is asking for my details? What details are they asking for? And why do they need these details?
Dispose of your documents securely. Any document containing any of your personal details is potentially useful to a fraudster.
It is fairly straightforward to find out if your identity has been hijacked, and if you do suspect you are a victim, advice is available. Contact the organisation concerned straight away. Report the crime to the police and get 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.
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