Is this a new crime?
No. For centuries personal details have been stolen with the motive of
monetary gain. In the past they were more likely to have been gleaned from
grave stones or shipping lists. Among those fraudsters have impersonated in
the past have been the Tichborne heir and Anastasia Romanov.
Credit report
An individual’s credit file with a credit reference agency may yield clues
that someone is usurping their identity. See experian.co.uk
for Experian and equifax.co.uk
for Equifax and opt for the £2 statutory credit report. Noddle via
Callcredit provides this free at noddle.co.uk.
Will the credit file tell the whole story?
Not necessarily. For example these credit reference agencies are for UK
lenders and information cannot be shared across borders. James Jones of
Experian says that countries abroad will usually have their own credit
reference agencies. If there is no record of a lending history shown there
then it is unlikely a bank would lend to an applicant.
Be vigilant
Be particularly aware if you been a victim of the theft, of say, a passport or
copy of it, or a wallet. Richard Hurley of CIFAS stresses that a theft of
personal computer equipment also increases the risk.
Anything out of the ordinary that is unexpected needs to be thought about.
This might be correspondence about a new mobile phone account or credit card
the recipient knows nothing about. Check bank and credit card statements for
anything untoward.
Duncan Bowker of Callcredit points out that fraud may be highlighted by fraud
alerts provided by credit reference agencies. For example, fraud alerts can
be added to Callcredit’s Noddle package. These can notify an individual of
any irregular activity shown on their credit file.
Feedback indicates that these can indeed be useful.
Limit personal information in the public domain
This doesn’t only mean dissuading friends from putting say a banner across a
bridge for all to see along the lines of “happy 30th birthday to ….” and
then giving an idea of the person’s home location. It particularly applies
to information available and accessible online.
Electoral roll
There are two registers. One can be viewed by the public but has restrictions
on its uses. The other, the edited register, can be sold and may be used for
various purposes. Councils make money out of selling these details which may
be used for marketing and can lead to a deluge of unsolicited mail. This
might, in for instance the case of invitations to credit applications or
mobile phone contracts, make the person it is intended for vulnerable if
this mail is intercepted.
Opt out on the Voter Registration Form. If you did this last time and
everything else is the same as before remember to respond to new
communications from the council about this either to the telephone response
number or via the Internet so that you continue to have your vote and to be
opted off the ‘edited register’. See the Electoral Commission’s website aboutmyvote.co.uk
putting ‘edited register’ in the search box.
Burn and shred sensitive information
Properly destroy old credit cards, no longer needed bank statements and
utility bills and anything else you are discarding that contains
information, or which in itself might be useful to a fraudster. All such
material should be comprehensively destroyed.
Don’t leave post lying around
Make sure post is delivered to a secure place. Those prone to receiving junk
mail can register with the Mailing Preference Service on mpsonline.org.uk.
Expecting a new credit card?
If the expiry date on your card is close and a new one doesn’t arrive, let the
bank know.
If you do receive a new card activate it quickly and remember to sign it.
Doing the latter is easily overlooked. Then cut up the old one and dispose
of it sensibly.
If you are moving
Have post re directed. Financial Fraud Action UK says, “Get the redirection
organised immediately.” It recommends arranging for it to stay in place for
a full year.
Know what you are doing with Internet shopping
Make sure you do any Internet shopping in a secure way. Anti-virus and
anti-spyware software should be up to date as well as other precautionary
measures. Spyware can intrude on your personal data within your computer.
Check there is a padlock on the browser window of any page you are inputting
information into. A padlock emblem printed on the main page is not the same.
See that the site’s address starts with https rather than http. The ‘s’
stands for secure. However these precautions are not totally fail-safe.
Ignore online ‘pop-ups’
Be as watchful on the Internet. Don’t click on anything you don’t understand.
It could lead to a site that can rob you of important details or invade your
computer.
Destroy phishing emails
Follow the instructions within such emails and you could be divested of
personal financial details which may be used for fraud. Make sure you have a
spam filter installed, although some phishing emails will still get through
into your main email folder. Also delete via the trash folder.
The same principle applies to cold callers and texts coming out of the blue.
What if something shows up?
Contact a credit reference agency explaining the predicament. James Jones of
Experian says this can be an insidious silent crime. Fraudsters are cunning
about covering their tracks. He says that last year more than 10,000 people
came to Experian asking it to clear up the mess following identity fraud. He
says that agencies in such circumstances work closely with one another to
unravel the problems identity fraud can bring, so if you go to one for help
they will alert the other two.
Duncan Bowker of CallCredit says ‘Credit reference agencies will work with
lenders to resolve any issues of this nature.”
Consider having a warning flag placed on your files by CIFAS. Such a
protective registration costs £20 a year. Contact details are 0330
100 0180 or cifas.org.uk/pr.
Such a marker will alert some would-be providers to be especially diligent
when an application is made for a financial service using the name and
address of the person concerned.
Report fraud
Contact actionfraud.police.uk
or ring 0300 123 2040. See getsafeonline.org.
Also worth taking a look at is stop-idfraud.co.uk.