Thieves can use even the most mundane of
personal details to help them "verify" that they are someone they aren't, and
one of the most common ways of obtaining personal details is "bin-raiding" (or
in simple terms "digging through your trash"). This is surprisingly common in
affluent areas and is spreading out of towns to the countryside; with 75% of
local authorities now admitting it happens regularly in their area.
An exercise carried out with the support of
Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire Police analyzed the contents of
hundreds of household bins to see what people were throwing away. It found that
86% of domestic rubbish contained information helpful to fraudsters.
Three quarters of the bins that were checked
contained the full name and address of at least one person from the household,
while 20% of bins contained a bank account number and sort code that could be
linked to the name and address of a person from the house.
So don't keep all of your bills, receipts and
other personal documents in an obvious place, if you can lock it away. If you
don't have anywhere to lock it, try and keep it somewhere out of the way, or
separate it out. Consider investing in a shredder!
Identity thieves will also try to dupe you
into giving personal information either in person, over the phone or by using
official sounding e-mails. And of course, personal computers can hold plenty of
information useful to fraudsters.
Be wary. Be suspicious of anyone seeking too
much personal information, and don't be afraid to challenge them by asking "why
do you need those details?" - A legitimate enquirer won't mind you asking. Make
sure you store all important documents and details, such as your birth
certificate, national insurance number, receipts and bank statements, in a safe
place.
Anything containing personal information that
you intend to throw out should be destroyed before it is put in the bin. Using a
household paper shredder is not taking things too far. If you think you have
become the victim of an identity thief, report it to the police, local authority
and relevant Government departments or companies immediately.
Keep personal information in "encrypted"
folders on your computer. Encryption scrambles the contents of your chosen
folder so it cannot be read by anyone else. You can "unscramble" the contents
using a password. Many well-known software companies offer free downloads to
help you with encryption, or encryption can be an option under your standard
operating system.
Consider installing "personal firewall"
software on your computer to stop online intruders or "hackers" accessing
information on your PC.
