Protecting Your Personal Information

There are lots of simple things you can do to protect yourself, your identity and your finances.

Look After Your Personal Documents

• Keep personal documents in a safe place, preferably locked away. Consider storing valuable financial documents (such as share certificates) with your bank.
• If your passport or driving licence has been lost or stolen, immediately contact the organisation that issued it.
• Don't casually throw away bills, receipts, credit card slips, bank statements or even unwanted post. If possible, shred these documents when you no longer need them. Good quality shredders can be purchased for a reasonable price from many stationers and electrical stores.

Bank Accounts, Credit and Debit Cards

• Check statements as soon as they arrive. If any suspect transactions are listed, contact your bank or credit card company. Cancel any lost or stolen credit cards immediately.
• Regularly check your personal credit file with a credit reference agency to see if it includes entries that you do not recognise. This check can cost as little as £2.
• Be vigilant and keep personal information secure when using a card over the phone, on the internet, in shops or at a cashpoint. Make sure other people cannot see you enter your PIN (Personal Identification Number) or hear your discussion.
• When making a purchase, make sure you can see your credit/debit card at all times and if the assistant appears to swipe the card twice, find out why. The unlawful copying or ‘cloning' of cards is commonplace and will enable a thief to steal money from your accounts.
• Never give personal or account details to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly. A bank will never ask you for your PIN or for a whole security number or password. If you believe a PIN number may have been compromised, change it immediately and alert the card supplier.

Password Tips

• Don't use the same password for more than one account. Using different passwords makes it much harder for criminals to access your accounts.
• Avoid using your mother's maiden name or family dates of birth as passwords. Many banks and online accounts also now ask for a name, word or phrase to use as a password reminder. Common suggestions include your mother's maiden name but this could be easily obtained by a fraudster - try instead to think of something original that you will remember but only you will know.
• Keep passwords safe, don't store them where they may be stolen or easily found such as in your purse or wallet.

Moving House

• It is good idea to get your post re-directed from your old address to your new one for at least a year. Royal Mail charges for this service but it is a good investment.
• After you have moved house, inform your bank, credit card company and all other organisations you deal with about your new address as soon as possible.

Stolen Mail

• Always be wary if other people have access to your post. Remember that if you live in a flat with shared hallway and communal mailbox facilities, there is a risk that your mail could be intercepted or stolen.
• Contact Royal Mail immediately if you think your post is being stolen, tampered with or if you are not receiving any mail at all. They will be able to tell you if a redirection order has been made in your name without your knowledge.

Online Safety

• Treat emails from unknown sources with caution - everything you see in the email can be false.
• Never use a link in an email to get to any web page, if you want to visit the page type in the correct website address into your browser or use a search engine in order to find the company's website and locate the page on that if it exists.
• Never send personal or financial information to anyone via email.
• Regularly log into your online accounts so you can quickly spot any unknown transactions.
• Install and learn how to use a personal firewall and virus/spyware checking software.
• Download the latest security updates (or patches) for your web browser and operating system.
  
  You can find a wealth of information about protecting yourself online at www.getsafeonline.org.