Identity theft

Identity theft is a rapidly growing crime which involves a criminal assuming someone else's identity in order to profit by fraudulent means. Your identity and personal information are valuable assets and it is of vital importance that you protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft and become clued up regarding all aspects of fraud prevention.

Criminals commit identity theft by stealing your personal information which they then use to open bank accounts and get credit cards, loans, state benefits and documents such as passports and driving licenses in your name. This is often done by taking documents from your rubbish or by making contact with you and pretending to be from a legitimate organisation.

The Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee has completed a one-off exercise to update the Cabinet Office estimate for the purpose of establishing trends in the cost of identity fraud over the past three years. The latest estimate is that identity fraud costs the UK economy £1.7 billion. As with the previous 2002 study, it represents a best estimate of the scale of the problem.

If your identity is stolen, you may have difficulty getting loans, credit cards or a mortgage until the matter is sorted out. In order to see which financial organisations have accessed your details, regularly obtain a copy of your personal credit file from: http://www.experian.co.uk/ or http://www.equifax.co.uk/

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 740740. Check whether a mail redirection order has been made in your name without your knowledge. If you move house, immediately tell your bank, card issuer and all other important organisations. Ask the Royal Mail to redirect any mail from your old address to your new one for at least a year. http://www.royalmail.com/

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. Be aware that a bank will never ask for your PIN or for a whole security number or password. Keep them secure. 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.

Check statements as soon as they arrive. If any unfamiliar transactions are listed, contact the company concerned immediately. 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.

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.

These organisations provide general advice and information about fraud relating to consumer finance: Information and advice to stay safe online http://www.banksafeonline.org.uk

Information on finance-related scams and swindles http://www.fsa.gov.uk/consumer/01_WARNINGS/scams/mn_scams.html

The Home Office, in collaboration with other government departments and private sector organisations, has set up the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee to lead a cross public/private sector work programme to tackle identity theft and identity fraud. The programme co-ordinates existing activity in the public and private sectors and identifies new projects and initiatives to reduce identity crime. Source: www.identity-theft.org.uk