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Identity theft - how do I protect myself?
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the UK. Fraud based on obtaining credit cards and loans through identity theft rose by 45 per cent from 2002, to £29.7m in 2004 according to figures provided by APACS (Association of Payment Clearing Services).
Most identity thieves go on to steal money from financial companies by impersonating their victims - this is known as identity fraud. The effects of this can wreck your credit file and can then have a significant impact on your life.
At the very least, it can mean a miserable month of telephone calls and letters to repair a financial account that has been severely damaged. However the worst-case scenario is being arrested for crimes that you know nothing about and being left with a tattered credit history, which could take years to put right.
The effects of consumer fraud can be devastating. More often than not, because fraud is rarely a physical crime it can take months, or even years, before it is detected, allowing the fraudster to wreak havoc both emotionally and financially.
Fraudsters prey on those members of the public that are less than vigilant in protecting their personal details and it is all too easy to be careless with our personal information. You can have your credit report monitored for signs of identity theft. Services such as the E-alerts service will monitor your credit report daily for signs of unusual activity and then send you an early email or text alert if it sees a change.
The following articles provide help and advice around how best to protect yourself from the effects of identity theft:
Please choose from the following articles:
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