Identity theft leading to identity fraud is a fast growing crime. It works by fraudsters pretending they are you and taking out loans, rack up overdrafts and apply for Credit Cards.

The advantage the fraudsters have is the Police have limited resources to tackle white-collar crime and so there’s little being down to stop ID theft.

Avoiding ID theft is more about common sense that anything else and the following tips will go a long way to protecting yourself against the threat –

1. Keep all you official documents and financial related material in a safe place, away from prying eyes. This includes passport, driving licence, credit cards, pay slips, chequebook, building society booklets etc
   
   
2. Regularly check ALL financial statements such as bank and credit cards. If possible only deal with financial institutions that offer online banking/credit cards etc, this means you don't have to wait for your monthly statements
   
   
3. If you can, buy a cheap shredder and shred all official documents that you don't need. Shredders can now be bought for less than £30 from the likes of Tesco
   
   
4. Be vigilant for anything odd in your financial matters. For example you might not have received a credit card bill for 6 weeks
   
   
5. Order a copy of your credit file at least once a year if not twice. This will show all the current finance arrangements that you have at present, check them
   
   
6. Don't give important personal information out over the phone unless you made the call or are 100% sure who you're talking to. For example somebody from your ‘bank' might call you asking to check your full name, DOB and Mother's maiden name but often these calls are from fraudsters
   
   
7. If you move house subscribe to the Royal Mail redirection service for at least one year

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Summary

Identity theft is not only real but it's a nightmare to sort out if it happens. All sorts of people have to get involved, banks, other financial institutions, the Police and lawyers etc.

So take the simple steps outlined above and you’ll be doing far more in anti-fraud protection than the average person. This in itself is often enough of a deterrent because the conmen are always on the lookout for people with sloppy paperwork and lax security standards.

For example, one of the easiest ways to steal someone’s ID is to go through their rubbish looking for financial paperwork. But the person that shreds their important documents and letters is already one step ahead of them.

Useful Links

• Home Office info and guides on ID theft
• CIFAS guidelines on ID theft