Types of Identity Fraud

There are a variety of ways criminals can gain personal information about you to commit identity fraud. If you know what to look out for though, there is a much better chance of protecting yourself. Below are some of the more common ways that your identity can be compromised.

Online information

Information can be gained from transactions made online with disreputable retailers, by computer viruses which can intercept and send direct to the criminal information you type or simply by information you post on the internet. Many of us now use social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace or Bebo with large amounts of personal information available for others to see at the click of a button.

Bin raiding

Fraudsters are not averse to sifting through bins and rubbish to find personal information. Surveys have show that up to 79 per cent of household waste contained at least one piece of personal information that could be of use to criminals. This can include old utility statements, bank bills, insurance documents and even personal letters.

Intercepted mail

Sometimes fraudsters can intercept your mail and gain a wealth of personal information. This is more likely if you live in shared accommodation, have a communal letterbox or move house and do not get your mail forwarded to your new address.

Phishing

Phishing is the name given to the scam of sending emails at random that claim to be from a genuine company such as a bank or credit card company. These messages often claim it is necessary to "update" or "verify" your customer account information and they urge you to click on a link from the email that takes you to a bogus website. Information entered on the website (which can often appear to be a genuine site) such as a user name, password or memorable data, will be captured by the criminals for their own fraudulent purposes and could allow them to get access to your real account.

Unsolicited phonecalls

Any phonecalls you receive from banks asking you to update your personal information should be treated with caution. Call the switchboard of the company in question (you can often find the number on statements and documents you have been sent previously) and ask to be put through to the person that called you. Remember also that banks will never ask you to reveal your account pin number.

Card skimming

This can occur when your credit card is cloned by copying your card information with a special device. This usually happens if you hand your card over to someone who takes it out of sight to make run through the transaction, so you should always be wary of such requests. Credit and debit card information can sometimes be copied when criminals tamper with ATM cashpoints, so do not use them if they appear in any way suspicious or tampered with.

Theft of wallet or purse

Your purse or wallet is likely to contain lots of valuable information, including credit and debit cards, driving licences and membership cards. If it is stolen, think carefully about what that information could be useful for and take appropriate action to alert the police, banks and other companies to the theft.

Find out more about protecting yourself against these crimes.