Personal Security

If you are about to do a spring clean here is some advice to help prevent the chances of having your identity stolen through your personal documentation and information. Feel free to display on notices boards, newsletters etc to help raise awareness.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is when criminals get hold of your personal details and use them to open bank accounts, get credit cards, loans or state benefits in your name.

To stop identity theft you need to:

• Burn or shred all old documents, including any bank or credit card statements, passports, driving licences and household bills.
• Check your statements carefully and report any unusual transactions immediately.
• Immediately report a lost or stolen passport, driving licence or credit card to the organisation that issued it.
• Get a copy of your personal credit report from one of the major credit reference agencies. This will help you to find out if someone else is applying for credit in your name.
• If you move house, inform your bank, credit card companies and all other agencies with which you do business.
  • Royal Mail has a redirection service, which you may consider using to ensure your post arrives at your new address.
  • However, if you suspect your mail is being stolen then contact the Royal Mail Customer Enquiry line: 08457 740 740.
• Never give personal or account details to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly, either by phone, post, email or in person.
• If you use the internet then always use a different password for each account. Do not use family names or dates of birth as passwords, as these can be easily guessed.
• If you receive an email requesting your personal banking details, contact the banking industry to make sure it is not a scam.

Stay Safe Online

Only send your personal details to secure websites starting with ‘https’ in your web browser address bar, instead of the usual ‘http’.  Secure websites will also have a padlock sign, which is usually displayed in the bottom right of your web browser.

Never give out your security details.  Emails asking for your password or PIN could be from criminals ‘phishing’ for your details.

Sometimes fraudsters can redirect you from a genuine website to their fake, lookalike site to ‘pharm’ (capture) your details.  Check the address bar in your web browser and only send your details to secure sites that you know are genuine.