IT IS YOUR IDENTITY,YOU MUST PROTECT IT!

With information! Simply put, criminals can steal your identityby gaining access to personal or confidential information aboutyou or your business and then use it to order goods or services,or even take out loans, credit cards or open bank accounts inyour or your business's name.Through the theft of bags/walletsStealing bank statements and other key information from bins(known as bin raiding)Redirecting your post unofficially to another addressSending bogus emails to trick you into providing sensitiveinformation (Phishing)

You can take steps to stop information getting into the wrong hands- read on for some top tips or visit www.stop-idfraud.co.uk forfurther information.

IT COULD HAPPENTO YOU TOOTOP TIPS TO KEEP

YOUR IDENTITY SAFE

Identity Fraud could affect any one of us - froma personal and a business perspective. Findingout that someone has stolen your identity is notjust an inconvenience, it can be devastating.

Unfortunately identity thieves and organised criminalgangs are continuing to target individuals and businesses -and the latest figures from CIFAS show that once again, IDFraud is on the increase with the first quarter of 2009showing a 40% increase in thenumber of victims.

So, how can you protect your identityand safeguard your business? Thisleaflet gives a basic summary of thesteps you should be taking, but for amore comprehensive overview andfull outline of preventative hints andtips, visit www.stop-idfraud.co.uk

From lost wallets to going through your bins, fraudsters areincreasingly resourceful about how they get your information, butfor the people and companies who fall victim, the outcome is justas devastating regardless of how the information was obtained:

CASE STUDY 1Mr A, aged 40, had£9,000 taken out of hisaccount by criminals.Mr A suspects that thecriminals got hold of hisdetails from a numberof statements he threwaway the week prior tothe identity fraud. “Afterhaving my identitytargeted three times Ibecame very cautious,but now because Ishred everything I canthrow away my mailwith peace of mind.Another thing I havefound very useful is tocheck my credit rating on a regular basis. This way you are made aware ofany other addresses or accounts that are linked to you.”

COMPANY YStuart owns company Y. Aged 34,he had a staggering £22,000stolen through fraudulent meansfrom his business and personalbank accounts two years ago. “ Iwould advise everyone never touse their mother’s real maidenname as a security answer, as it isjust too difficult to keep it a secret.Use something funny or evenstupid, call her Posh Spice orDomestos if you have to.”

• Keep your personal information, credit cards,passwords and pin numbers in a safe place(preferably a lockable drawer or safe) and don’t share thesedetails with people or companies you don’t know

• Never throw away bills, receipts, credit or debit cardslips, bank statements or even unwanted post withoutdestroying them first, preferably with a cross-cut shredder

• Always protect your post, especially if you live in abuilding where other people can easily access it. When youmove house, redirect your mail from your old address toyour new one for at least a year

• Check all your statements and financial records as soonas they arrive and report any discrepancies straight away

• Regularly obtain a copy of your credit report• Be wary of publishing any identifying information

about yourself online. In particular things like: phonenumbers, pictures of your home, workplace or school, youraddress, birthday or full name

AND SOME EXTRA ADVICE FOR BUSINESSES• Register with Companies House and make sure you

sign up to their Electronic Filing, PROOF and Monitor serviceswhich will help to prevent fraudsters changing the names of yourdirectors and effectively ‘hijacking’ your company

• Make sure that all your staff are fully informed about the risk of identity fraud. Create a clear set of guidelines andprocedures for employees concerning the handling, storageand sharing of sensitive information, both on and off-line

• Always make sure that you and your staff properly destroyunwanted information. As well asshredding paper, don’t forget to shredCDs and DVDs and always make surethat the information on old computersis wiped clean before throwing them out

• Always check the identity of yourcustomers. Both business andconsumer credit reference agenciesoffer a wide range of solutions toauthenticate and verify the identity ofcustomers to ensure that they existand are who they say they are

HOW CAN YOURIDENTITY BE STOLEN?

5806 IDFW Leaflet_Partners_UK:NIFPW DL Leaflet_Customer 23/9/09 12:59 Page 1

Literature Code: 361034

IS YOURIDENTITYAT RISK?

A QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

22% of us access our bank details at work or ininternet cafes – so steps for protecting your identityat home, at work and when out and about areequally important to help keep your identity safe

FIND OUT MORE...

For more information on identity crime, including useful hints, tips and exclusive

downloads to help keep your identity safe andto protect your business/employer,

visit www.stop-idfraud.co.uk

DID YOU KNOW?HOW TO SPOT IFYOUR IDENTITY HASBEEN STOLEN

If your car or a computer is stolen, it is obvious to spot. But howdo you know if someone has stolen your identity? The signs maynot be as clear, but there are some things which could indicateyou or your company might be a victim:

You start getting letters or bills in your name fromcompanies with which you are not familiar. For example, billsor receipts for things you haven't bought, a mobile phone inyour name which you didn’t know about or letters regardingoutstanding debts which are not yours

You stop getting bills or statements or post in generalwhich you normally receive on a regular basis

You are refused a financial service, such as a credit cardor a loan, despite having a good credit history

Visit www.stop-idfraud.co.uk for more information onspotting the signs of Identity Crime.

Supported by

Online social networking ofteninvolves sharing personal informationin the public domain, so there is arisk that such data may be misused.

Use privacy settings onnetworking/public sites and be carefulabout the information you publish

Don’t throw sensitiveinformation in the bin

Even your diary can contain information which canhelp a fraudster - if you have to carry it around withyou, make sure it is kept well out of view and neverleave it unattended

5806 IDFW Leaflet_Partners_UK:NIFPW DL Leaflet_Customer 23/9/09 12:59 Page 4