Identity fraud is the act of pretending to be someone else and using their stolen, personal information to commit crimes.
Identity fraud is the act of pretending to be someone else and using their stolen, personal information to commit crimes.
Whether you were tricked into giving away your information or an identity thief stole from you, fraudsters may:
Identity fraud can make it harder for you to get a mobile phone or credit card, borrow money, rent a home, even get a job. But try not to worry as there’s plenty you can do and look out for to protect yourself.
1. Check your credit report
Make sure your personal details are correct: your name and address, your credit cards and loans, and the amount owed. Also, that you have opened all the accounts yourself – if there are any you don’t recognise, contact the company straight away, keeping a record of who you speak to at what time and all the emails or letters between you and the company.
Have you moved home in the last 2 to 3 months? Then it’s especially important you check your credit report, in case a fraudster stole post delivered to your old address.
2. Contact a credit reference agency
Call Equifax (0800 014 2955), TransUnion (0330 024 7574), Experian (0800 013 8888) or another agency with a credit report checking service that can alert you to potentially fraudulent changes made to your credit file. And if you’re a victim of identity fraud, you can ask for free advice, such as how to repair your personal credit records.
3. Notice how your bills and financial statements change
Are you getting unexpected bills or debt collection letters? Charges for purchases or withdrawals you haven’t made? Have your usual bills stopped coming? Report anything suspicious to your bank or financial service provider as soon as you can and chase up missing statements. Fraudsters are sneaky. From charging £5 to your credit card – if they get away with it, they may come back for more – to changing your address so you don’t get their bills and bust their scam.
Unless you keep an eye on your statements and bills, you may not realise you’re a victim of identity theft or fraud until you’re denied a loan or offered credit at higher than your usual interest rates.
Make it harder for criminals to get your sensitive information:
Remember, your bank will never ask you to give your financial information – your PIN or your whole security number or password – over the phone:
Act fast – the longer the problem goes on, the more debt adds up in your name, so report:
Not sure who to call?
If you’ve been a victim of identity fraud or feel a breach has made your personal data vulnerable, use Cifas’ Protective Registration service.
Seniors. If you’re worried about someone or wondering how to keep your pension, savings and information safe from scammers, please see this guide from Age UK. Sharing personal information with doctors, care givers and giving a number of other people access puts the elderly at greater risk of identity fraudsters, as does having learning or mental health difficulties (dementia) at any age.
Just so you know, Action Fraud and Age UK are responsible for their websites, technical support and any problems you have while applying these steps (not us).
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