Don't Be A Victim Of Identity Theft

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your knowledge or consent to commit a crime, such as fraud or theft.

Identity thieves steal key pieces of personal information — either physically or in other ways, without your knowledge — and use it to impersonate you and commit crimes in your name.

In addition to names, addresses and phone numbers, thieves look for your:

• National Insurance number
• Driver's Licence number
• Credit card and Banking information
• Bank cards
• Birth certificate
• Passports

Identity thieves can manipulate your information and invade your personal and financial life. They can use stolen identities to conduct spending sprees, open new bank accounts, divert mail, apply for loans, credit cards and social benefits, rent apartments and even commit more serious crimes.

How do thieves steal an identity?

Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information such as your name and National Insurance number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold. Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including:

• Bin Hoaking - They rummage through your rubbish looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.


• Skimming - They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card. eg. Paying your bill at a restaurant.


• Phishing - They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.


• Changing Your Address - They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.


• Old-Fashioned Stealing - They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new cheques or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access. Beware companies that use call centres in low paid, usually third-world, countries


• Pretexting - They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources.

What do thieves do with a stolen identity?

Once they have your personal information, identity thieves use it in a variety of ways.

Credit card fraud:

• They may open new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the cards and don't pay the bills, the delinquent accounts appear on your credit report.


• They may change the billing address on your credit card so that you no longer receive bills, and then run up charges on your account. Because your bills are now sent to a different address, it may be some time before you realise there's a problem.

Phone or utilities fraud:

• They may open a new phone or wireless account in your name, or run up charges on your existing account.


• They may use your name to get utility services like electricity, heating, or Sky TV.

Bank/finance fraud:

• They may create counterfeit cheques using your name or account number.


• They may open a bank account in your name and write bad cheques.


• They may clone your ATM or debit card and make electronic withdrawals your name, draining your accounts.


• They may take out a loan in your name.

Government documents fraud:

• They may get a driver's license or official ID card issued in your name but with their picture.


• They may use your name and National Insurance number to get government benefits.


• They may file a fraudulent tax return using your information.

Other fraud:

• They may get a job using your National Insurance number.


• They may rent a house or get medical services using your name.


• They may give your personal information to police during an arrest. If they don't show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.

How can I protect myself

Protecting Your Birth Certificate 

• When you are not traveling, store your birth certificate in a safe place, along with other valuable documents such as your passport.


• Don't carry your birth certificate in your wallet or purse.


• Don't carry a photocopy of your birth certificate.


• Note that these tips should also be applied to your driver’s licence and National Insurance card.

Protecting Yourself at Home

• Always store any cards and documents containing personal information in a secure place, and shred them after they expire.


• Review the balances on your statements from banks, credit cards and companies regularly and report any discrepancies right away.


• If your bills don't arrive, or you applied for a new credit card that hasn't come on time, call the credit card company immediately.


• If you are going to be away from home, ask a trusted neighbour to pick up your mail.

Protecting Yourself in the Marketplace

• Carry as few cards and documents as possible, and always check to see the credit card you get back is your own.


• Be wary of giving out any personal information over the telephone unless you've placed the call yourself or know the business.


• Never tell anyone the password you use at the Automated Teller Machine (ATM), and be sure no one is watching when you use an ATM.


• Financial institutions and police will never ask for your passwords.


• Don't put more than your name and address on your personal cheques.

Protecting Yourself Online

• Fake or "spoof" websites are designed to trick consumers and collect their personal information. Be cautious when clicking on a link or an unknown website or unfamiliar e-mail. The link may take you to a fraudulent site.


• Be wary of computer start-up software that asks for registration information.


• Never share your passwords.


• Don't use e-mail to send personal information.


• Discourage harvesting of your e-mail address – think about creating "disposable" e-mail addresses for online purchases, mask your address or use a unique e-mail address.


• Beware of Internet promotions that ask for personal information. Identity thieves may use fake offers to get you to give them your information.


• After completing any sort of financial transaction online, make sure you sign out of the website and clear your internet file/cache. Most financial institutions provide instructions on how to clear the caches under their "security" section.


• Don't give a credit card number or other identification information to a company that doesn't provide its name, business address, telephone number and e-mail address.


• Before giving your credit card number or other financial information to a business, make sure that their website is protected and secured. Look for a lock symbol located somewhere on the browser or make sure the URL begins with "https://".


• Teach children to keep their identities confidential in chat rooms, bulletin boards or newsgroups. Help them learn to choose screen names that do not identify them, and to understand that any information they exchange on the Internet is not private.


• Look into encryption, firewalls and virus protection for your computer.

What if I am a victim

If you think that you have been a victim of identity theft, there are steps you should take immediately to minimize damage and help prevent further fraud or theft.

Step One

Contact each financial institution, credit card issuer or other company that provided the identity thief with unauthorized credit, money, goods or services.

Step Two

Report the incident at your local police station and ask them to take a report. If a police report is available, include it in all correspondence with financial institutions, credit issuers, credit reporting agencies and other companies.

Step Three

If your credit cards or government-issued documents (such as driver’s licence, birth certificate or passport) have been lost or stolen, notify the issuing authority immediately to have the document cancelled and a new one issued.

Note: Keep a record of your actions, even after the case has been resolved. Errors can reappear on your credit reports or your information can be re-circulated. If this happens, you’ll be glad you kept your files.

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