Avoiding ID theft and fraud (II)

How your identity can be stolen?

Traditionally, criminals needed physical information to steal someone’s identity. They got this by:

• Stealing a purse/wallet/bag.
• Rummaging through a bin for documents.
• “Skimming” a bank or credit card at a cash machine or card terminal.
• Stealing post.

However, because we now live in a digitally connected world, physical access to documents and information is no longer essential for a criminal to steal someone’s identity. Technology means they can get what they need via:

• Email: some emails may appear genuine, but they are aimed at encouraging you to share personal information or bank details, follow links, or unknowingly download viruses or malware onto your devices, so that criminals can access them to get the information they need.
• Text, WhatsApp, and social media messages: the messages try to convince you they are from real people, organisations, or businesses. They instruct you to follow links to websites, call numbers or send a text, with the aim of you sharing personal information or bank details. 
• Phone: you receive a “cold call” from a telephone number which appears real, and the person, or message, advises you that they are from a legitimate business or organisation. They may say that unless you act you will lose a service, face legal action, miss an opportunity that is “too good to miss”, or they may offer something free. It is all aimed at encouraging you to provide personal information, bank details, or make a payment.
• Social media: by its very nature, we are encouraged to share information on social media. However, criminals may be able to harvest information such as dates of birth, names, addresses and a whole lot more, from posts, photographs, and comments on social media.
• Data breaches: Your email and electronic devices hold an absolute goldmine of information for an identity thief, and they can be physically and digitally vulnerable to both hacking and theft.

How can you protect your identity?

Now that you understand how criminals might steal your identity, you can begin to protect yourself. Here is how:

The Basics

1. Shred all unwanted documents: don’t think that ripping a document up and burying it in a bag of household waste will do, because it won’t. A bank statement with baked bean juice on is still an information goldmine. Shred your documents!
2. Secure your home Wi-Fi: by hacking your Wi-Fi, identity thieves have a door straight into your home. Set a strong password, rather than relying on the factory default, and change it frequently.
3. Don’t respond to cold calls: if you receive a “cold call” from a person, business, or organisation you don’t know, aren’t expecting or suspect could be a scam, ignore it, even if the telephone number appears to be genuine.
4. Never give out your bank details, or any account logins: legitimate businesses will never ask for these.
5. Protect your bank card pin number: always shield your pin number when entering it, never write it down and never share it with anyone.

Online

• Use a secure password manager: people use simple passwords because they are easy to remember. However, that also means they are easy to hack. A secure password manager, such as Secure Safe, creates and saves complex and unique passwords which make your online accounts much more secure.
• Install antivirus software and a firewall on your computer: your computer contains a huge amount of information about you. Products from the likes of Norton, McAfee and PC Protect help make your computer more secure.
• Regularly install system software updates: whilst it can be a pain waiting for them to install before you can turn your computer off, updates to your computer systems are important to ensure your computer stays secure.
• Avoid questionable websites: if you have good security software on your computer it will prevent you from accessing websites that don’t have the right security certification and prevent you from accidently downloading viruses or spyware. However, legitimate websites usually have “https” at the start of their address, so only use websites that have it.
• Only download software from trusted sites: it is easy for hackers to hide viruses and spyware in other software. If you are going to download software, do so from trusted sites.
• Never open attachments if you don’t know what they are: even if you receive an email with an attachment from a friend or colleague, don’t open it unless you know what it is. It could be a virus.

Phone and Social Media

• Use your phone’s security features: if you have fingerprint or face ID, set it up. At the very least set a passcode to access your phone and for it to auto-lock if not in use. Your phone holds a lot of personal information which is valuable to a criminal if your phone is lost or stolen.
• Change passwords and passcodes frequently: social media accounts hold a lot of personal information and changing your password makes it more difficult for someone to hack.
• Don’t share personal information on social media: this may go against the idea of social media, but criminals harvest information from social media accounts.
• Check your privacy settings: the stronger you set your privacy settings, the harder it is for criminals to harvest information about you.
• Be selective about your social media friends: social media friends can see more about you, so be selective about who they are.
• Close accounts you don’t use: if you decide to come off social media, delete your account, otherwise your personal information remains online.

Using Public Wi-Fi

Public Wi-Fi is insecure which means you can never be sure who else is using it and whether they are looking for unsuspecting victims. If you need to use Public Wi-Fi (e.g., in a bar, café, railway station or airport):

Don’t:

• Allow your device to auto-connect.
• Use a Wi-Fi network that isn’t password protected.
• Leave your Wi-Fi or Bluetooth on if you aren’t using them.
• Log into an account that contains sensitive information, especially via an app.
• File share.

Do:

• Visit sites using https://
• Use a VPN (Virtual Personal Network).

Spyware on your phone?

Smart phones are small, handheld computers, and can be as susceptible to viruses and spyware as a laptop. The following are some of the tell-tale signs that your phone could have spyware installed:

• Unusually high data usage.
• The phone being warm, even if you are not using it.
• Flashes and beeps when it’s not in use.
• Unusual background noises.

If you suspect your phone may have spyware on it, remove it by restoring your phone’s factory settings or by installing anti-spyware software.

What can you do if you are a victim of Identity Theft and fraud?

Firstly, don’t be hard on yourself. The criminals involved in Identity Theft and Identity Fraud are experts at what they do, and even the most careful people can get caught out.

However, you should:

1. Contact your account providers to alert them that you believe you have been the victim of Identity Theft and fraud. They will have a dedicated team to help.
2. Contact the police on a non-emergency number to report the crime. Even if the scam was unsuccessful and you haven’t lost any money, reporting it could protect someone else being caught by it in future.
3. Check your other accounts and notify the account provider if necessary.

Stay vigilant and keep yourself safe by taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information.