How to Combat Identity Theft

 

One of the main ways you can combat identity theft is to be very careful about protecting your personal information. Make sure you shred all documents before throwing them in the rubbish, and keep all your important documents such as passports, bills and bank statements in a secure place. Protect your online information with adequate anti virus and anti spyware software and make sure you know how to identify and avoid spam emails, which often contain 'phishing' schemes that try and trick you into revealing your account and login information. You should also be vigilant with your existing accounts and thoroughly check every bank statement and bill each month to ensure no suspicious deductions have been made. Many people also take the additional step of requesting credit history reports on a regular basis, which will show immediately if anyone has tried to steal you identity and set up any fraudulent credit claims against your name.

 

If you do discover that some of your personal data has been used for unlawful activities then there are various steps you can take.

 

1) Notify the fraud department of the relevant bank, credit card or other company immediately and start action to retrieve any money you have lost and clear any false charges that have been made to your accounts, and also close any fraudulent accounts that have been set up in your name. This process can take a long time, and if you are in the difficult situation where your bank account has been wiped clean, enquire if there is anyway of accessing money (such as through a temporary overdraft facility) whilst you are waiting for your case to be sorted out.

 

2) It is important that you file an Identity Theft Report with the police as not only will this allow law officials track identity crime, but it can also be used to repair any damage done to your credit history as a result of any fraudulent activity. Also an Identity Theft Report is a vital tool to help you prevent debt collection companies from trying to collect debts resulting from identity theft.

 

3) Place a "Fraud Alert" notice on your credit history report by calling one of the major consumer credit history companies such as Equifax or Experian. This will alert creditors to the possibility of fraudulent activity on your account and will advise them to follow certain procedures before setting up new accounts or making changes to existing accounts in your name.

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