What to do if you become a victim of Identity Crime

 

Identity theft is becoming an increasing problem across the world, and armed with only a few personal details fraudsters can effectively steal another persons identity and apply for credit accounts, benefits and loans, and also purchase goods and services in their names.

 

Identity thieves can steal information from a number of sources, and this can vary from simple methods such as going through your rubbish to find key documents you have thrown away such as bank statements and bills, to sophisticated online 'phishing' scams, where thieves pose a legitimate financial or official organisations and try and trick you into revealing important personal details such as bank account numbers and logins.

 

If you do become a victim of identity theft then it is important to act immediately to prevent the problem from escalating. Report the identity theft to the police and make sure you get a crime reference number, as it is easier to prove you are a victim of identity theft to if you have followed this important procedure. If you believe your credit cards or bank accounts have been compromised then call the relevant institutions immediately and take steps to freeze the accounts so no more money can be taken or charges made. Arrange for new cards to sent with new PIN numbers, so that you have a way of accessing cash whilst your case is being sorted out. Request a copy of your credit history report so that you can go through it and identify if any new accounts or activity has taken place, or if there have been any changes made to your existing accounts without your knowledge and report any suspicious activity to the credit report providers. Also you may want to go through all of your recent statements and bills, from your savings accounts through to your phone bill and check that there are no fraudulent charges or purchases. If you live in the UK you can take out a 'Protective Registration' report against your address through CIFAS (fraud prevention agency), which will alert credit providers to go through additional security checks for all future transactions linked to your address.

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