What are some simple ways to protect your Identity?

In some ways it is obvious, Identity theft is more likely to occur if you make it easy for someone to take and use your identity information.

Here are a few things you can do to help prevent that happening.

1. If you are asked for your Identity information, ask why they are asking for it and what they will do with it.

2. Keep documents that are used to establish your identity (e.g. Birth Certificates or Passports) in a very safe place. Ideally in a physical safe if you have one.

3. Do not write down PIN Numbers or passwords. If you cannot remember them all then make use of software like myINFOSAFE to store then and keep them safe but accessible.

4. Identity crime does not always result from information that is stolen, but from information that you publish on the internet. It is best not to publish information like your birth date on the internet. Often organisations will user date of birth as one of the verification questions when identifying you and if people can find this out they can easily impersonate you).

5. Be suspicious of any unexpected events (Letters from Creditors, bank transactions you cannot remember making) that could be a result of identity crime.

6. If you have sensitive information on your mobile phone, keep it password protected. It can be inconvenient we know but there is often a significant amount of information on phones that help people steal your identity.

7. Remove all personal information from personal computers before you dispose of them.

8. Make sure you properly dispose (shred or burn) of bank statements, electricity bills, and any piece of correspondence with your name or address on it. These documents should never be put in public recycling bins. Consider getting your statements provided online - it is good for you and the environment as well.

9. Passwords are often sent to you via email when you sign up for new services. Go to your email and search all folders, including your deleted items, for the word “Password”. Check all the emails that are returned and make sure you transfer all the information into myINFOSAFE, or a similar digital safe, to ensure no one with access to your PC could find your passwords.

10. If you believe you are the victim of identity crime, contact the police.

We will be publishing a free guide to preventing Identity theft on our website soon. If you have any other ideas or thoughts that we should include then please let us know.