Protecting Your Identity

Identity theft is one of UK's fastest growing crimes and it is one that we are all susceptible to. Below are a few suggestions on how you can reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

safelinks has been asked for information about stopping criminals using your identity to milk funds.  The Home Office gives good advice based on identity thefts throughout the country.

A recent Which? survey suggested that nearly a quarter of UK adults have had their identity stolen or known someone who has. By stealing just a few of your personal details, criminals can do anything from emptying your bank account to borrowing money in your name. One high profile victim was Ricky Gervais, star of the BBc sitcom "The Office." Criminals tried to buy £200,000 of gold bullion using his account.

The Home Office estimates that more than 100,000 people are affected by identity theft in the UK each year, at a cost of over £1.3 billion. There is a personal cost too. Not only is the crime itself distressing, it can be a headache to clear everything up. Equifax, a credit reference agency, estimates that it can take 300 hours to resolve one case.

Many large organisations have stringent policies in place to protect their customers but there are many different ways in which you can look after yourself as well.

Get Shredding, suprisingly, one of the best ways for criminals to get hold of personal details is by going through your rubbish for something as innocuous as a gas bill. Often they find much more. A 2003 survey by Experian, a credit reference agency, found that two in five rubbish bins contained a credit or debit card number that could be linked to an individual. This problem is easily solved - simply destroy unwanted documents that contain any personal details. Shredding machines are cheap and give you a good way to protect yourself.

Home help, If you share the building you live in with other people, it's important to make sure you collect your post regulary. When moving house, you should tell any relevant organisations about your new address as soon as possible. Using a mail forwarding service for at least six months is a good way to make sure you haven't forgotten to  let anyone know.

Emergency numbers, keep a record of the numbers you need to ring if your credit and debit cards are stolen. You have to cancel your cards as soon as possible to ensure that they cannot be misused.

Take care of personal details, be wary of anyone who contacts you unexpectedly and asks for personal information or account details, even if they claim to be from your bank or the police. Ask for their name and a contact number, and then check with the organisation in question before calling back.

The online version of this crime  is known as "phishing". This is when you receive an email claiming to be from a bank, credit card company or other organisation, which asks for urgent information.

Typically they say you need to enter your account details on the company's website to protect against fraud, or to avoid your account from being deactivated. If you click on the linkin the email you will be taken to a website that looks genuine but has in fact been created by the fraudsters to trick you into revealing secret information.

reputable financial companies will never ask for account information or passwords in an email. However, these messages can be very convincing so if you receive an email you are unsure about, particularly if it says it is urgent, check with the company it claims to be from. If they didn't send the email, delete it without clicking on any of the links or attachments.

Stay safe online, if you use the internet, make sure you have the latest Microsoft security patches and up to date anti-virus software installed. Passwords for online banking and finance sites should be different from those you use for other websites - and always make sure that your passwords are difficult to guess. When online, check that the web address of the site you are visiting is spelt correctly, as it is possible to be redirected to a similarly named, fraudulant copy.

Check your credit rating. It's a good idea to check your credit file regularly, to ensure nothing has been illegally set up in your name. This doesn't protect you from identity theft, but it can help you find out about it quicker - which can make it much less complicated to sort out. Reports cost very little and can be ordered from:

Experian - 0870 241 6212 (experian.co.uk)

Equifax - 08700 100 583 (equifax.co.uk)

Call Credit - 0870 060 1414 (callcredit.co.uk)

Please click below for more details

Home Office - Identity Theft

To limit the amount of unwanted mail please click below for this free service

Unwanted mail

To limit the amount of unwanted phone calls please click below for this free service

Unwanted phone calls

Computer Crime Tips

Having a computer stolen has a cost - and not just the money you spent buying it or the money to replace it. There's the inconvenience to you, your staff and your company, the loss of records, the possible loss of business.

There are some simple things you can do now to protect your computer equipment and your business. You can:

• Conduct regular property and equipment audits, record missing items.
• Allocate responsibility for equipment to individuals.
• Establish measures to control use and movement of equipment.
• Mark your equipment - Brand the exterior shell of equipment and mark exterior and interior where safe and possible with postal codes.
• Consider the use of passive electronic marking devices.
• Record details of equipment serial numbers/identification marks. Details need to be readily available in the event of theft.
• Anchor equipment to solid furniture, floors or nearby walls using appropriate means.
• User intruder alarm equipment to monitor building or room entry.
• Use product alarms to monitor movement of individual computer equipment.
• Consider tagging equipment using electrical article surveillance methods.
• Store computer equipment within secure rooms/cabinets when buildings or departments are unoccupied.
• Use CCTV and audio recording equipment to monitor buildings and areas where computers are in use.
• Introduce appropriate access control for the building and for serving areas where computers are used.
• Ensure mobile and laptop computers are properly secured when used away from the office.
• Review existing security precautions, regularly.
• If you need more advice then contact your local Crime Prevention Officer who will be pleased to help.

Click here for more information

www.met.police.uk/crimeprevention/computer.htm

Card Crime

To prevent the most common types of fraud cardholders need to increase their vigilance when using an ATM. If there is anything unusual about the cash machine, particularly the slot, then they should not use it, but should report their suspicions to the bank immediately.


Cardholders should also guard their personal identification number(PIN) more carefully and be aware that any form of distraction or assistance while they are using an ATM could mean someone is trying to steal their dispensed money or their card.


Above all else, cardholders who lose their card should report it to the bank immediately.


Criminals often carry out ATM fraud outside a bank's normal working hours. When this happens the cardholder should report the incident to the bank via it's 24hrs emergency number, which can be found on the last statement, directory enquiries or at the bank itself.


Types of ATM crime.


Card trapping devices.


A criminal inserts a device into the ATM card slot and traps the customer's card. The criminal observes the PIN being entered by the cardholder by standing close behind the.(Known as shoulder surfing) The cardholder eventually leaves the machine thinking the card has been retained by the bank. The criminal then removes the device, with the captured card and uses it with the PIN to withdraw money.


False Entry Devices.


A criminal attaches a device to the ATM card entry slot, or sets up a fake lobby entrance mechanism, to skim the card-illegally obtaining the information held on the magnetic stripe on the card. The PIN is usually obtained via shoulder surfing.


Theft using distraction techniques.


Whilst using an ATM the cardholder is distracted by one of a variety of techniques. The criminal may drop a £10 note and bring the cardholder's attention to it, ask for directions or even spill something on the cardholder. While the cardholder attends to the distraction the dispensed money is stolen and, if the criminal has seen the cardholder enter the PIN and memorised the number the card is stolen too.


Skimming using distraction techniques.


The same as above but, whilst the cardholder is distracted the card is removed from the ATM, skimmed and then re-inserted into the card slot without the cardholder's knowledge.


This is a lot to take in so if you need more information please give us a call.