Advice on how to protect your identity

Always remain cautious when it comes to protecting yourself from identity fraud.

Identity fraud has fast become common worldwide and it pays to remain extra vigilant whether you’re entering personal details online or making purchases.

There are a number of ways to minimise the risk of becoming a fraud theft victim.

Shredding or destroying data sensitive documents before disposing ensures that no criminal can scour your bins for items such as bank statements and utility bills.

Before destroying bank statements, make sure you properly review each for suspicious transactions and alert your bank at the earliest opportunity.

Passwords and pin codes should never be written down and accessible for others to view.

Update your details as soon as possible when you move home or change phone numbers to avoid any important documents or calls getting directed to former contact details.

Online is where the majority of fraud takes place. Registering of accounts, social networking activity and shopping via retail websites are all everyday life for most.

Keep personal information private on social networks and only befriend people you genuinely know and feel comfortable having conversations with. Information such as childrens’ or pets’ names are commonly used as passwords – avoid revealing these details in the public forum.

Email phishing scams are frequent and aren’t always easy to spot. The key areas to analyse for fakes are the send from email address and whether any click-through link is the web address of the actually company/person they claim to be.

To help you remain safe from hacking devices, use firewall software to protect you against potentially harmful sites.

If you suspect fraud and that your identity could be at risk, please report this immediately to the ActionFraud team online here  www.actionfraud.police.uk/.