IDENTITY THEFT.

You may think that identity theft is something that could never happen to you, however it’s an increasing problem. Fraud based on obtaining credit cards and loans using a victim's personal details has risen by 45 per cent from 2002, to £29.7m in 2004 according to figures provided by APACS (Association of Payment Clearing Services).

 

 

The information below (Courtesy of the Home Office) provides advice on:
• what you can do to protect yourself against identity theft and fraud;
• what to do if it happens to you; and
• where to get further help.

What is identity theft?
Your identity and personal information are valuable. 
Criminals can find out your personal details and use them to open bank accounts and get credit cards, loans, state benefits and documents such as passports and driving licences in your name.  If your identity is stolen, you may have difficulty getting loans, credit cards or a mortgage until the matter is sorted out.

Things to look for
You may become a victim of identity theft if:

• you have lost or had stolen important documents such as your passport or driving licence; or
• post expected from your bank has not arrived or you are receiving no post at all.

You may already be a victim of identity theft if:
• items have appeared on your bank or credit-card statements that you do not recognise;
• you applied for a state benefit but are told that you are already claiming;
• you receive bills, invoices or receipts addressed to you for goods or services you haven’t asked for;
• you have been refused a financial service, such as a credit card or a loan, despite having a good credit history;
• a mobile-phone contract has been set up in your name without your knowledge; or
• you have received letters from solicitors or debt collectors for debts that aren’t yours.
How to protect yourself
Security tips
Regularly get a copy of your personal credit file (this costs as little as £2) from a credit reference agency to see if it includes any entries you do not recognise.

Royal Mail offers a redirection service to help prevent identity fraud when you move house.  Consider asking Royal Mail to redirect any post from your old address to your new one for at least a year.  You will have to pay a charge for this service.

If you move house, also tell your bank, credit-card company and all other organisations that you deal with, as soon as possible.  To check that your personal details are secure, get a copy of your credit file two to three months after moving.

Always be careful if other people have access to your post.  Contact Royal Mail if you think your post is being stolen.  Check whether a mail redirection order has been made in your name without your knowledge.

Credit and debit cards
Cancel any lost or stolen credit or debit cards immediately.  Keep a note of the emergency numbers you should call.

Be careful to keep your personal information secure when using your card over the phone, on the internet or in shops by making sure that other people cannot overhear you or see your personal information.

Look after your personal documents
• Keep your personal documents in a safe place, preferably in a lockable drawer or cabinet at home.  Consider storing valuable financial documents (such as share certificates) with your bank.
• If your passport or driving licence has been lost or stolen, contact immediately the organisation that issued it.
• Don’t casually throw away documents such as bills, receipts, credit- or debit-card slips, bank statements or even unwanted post in your name.  Destroy unwanted documents, preferably by using a shredder.
• Check statements as soon as they arrive.  If any unfamiliar transactions are listed, contact the bank or company concerned immediately.

Password tips
Never give personal or account details to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.  Be aware that a bank will never contact you to ask you for your personal identification number (PIN) or for a whole security number or password.  Keep them secure.

Don’t use the same password for more than one account and never use banking passwords on other websites.  Using different passwords makes it harder for criminals to access your accounts.  Avoid using your mother’s maiden name or family dates of birth as passwords.  Keep passwords safe and never record or store them in a way which leaves them open to theft, such as in your purse or wallet.

If you think you are a victim
Act quickly to make sure that you are not liable for financial losses caused by criminals using your identity.

• Report lost or stolen documents, such as passports, driving licences, credit cards and cheque books, to the organisation that issued them.
• Consider contacting CIFAS – The UK’s Fraud Prevention Service to apply for protective registration if you believe you are a victim of identity fraud or at risk of becoming one.  Once you have registered, CIFAS members will carry out extra checks whenever anyone, including you, applies for a financial service using your address.  They do this to make sure that a criminal is not trying to commit fraud by pretending to be you.  You will have to pay a charge for this service.
• If someone had fraudulently opened an account in your name, contact the company concerned immediately.
• Contact your bank or credit-card company to report suspicious transactions on your statement.
• Get a copy of your personal credit file and report any suspicious entries.  Report the matter to your local police and ask for a crime reference number.

For further information on Identity Theft and how to check your credit rating please see below.

Fraud attempts - Company Directors - attempts to obtain authentification Codes for WebFiling

There have been instances recently where Companies House customers have been contacted by someone claiming to be from Companies House, asking for verification of their WebFiling Authentication Codes.
Please be aware that Companies House personnel will never contact you by telephone to try to ascertain your WebFiling Authentication Codes.
Should anyone contact you claiming to be from Companies House please try to obtain a return telephone number and contact Companies House immediately.

Combat Identity Fraud

Safe and simple
Using WebFiling, our online filing service, is far safer and more secure way to send us statutory information than using paper forms sent by post. You need to register for a security code (issued by email) and an authentication code (issued by post to your registered office) and then you can send us much of the information about your company electronically. It's also 50% cheaper to file your annual return online For more information on WebFiling click here (http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/toolsToHelp/fileInformation.shtml)
PROtected Online Filing
Once you have received your authentication code to file electronically, you can then sign up to PROOF, our new PROtected Online Filing service, which is designed to reduce identity fraud still further. We will then only accept forms relating to changes of address and directors' details from you electronically. We will not accept any of these documents on paper unless you authorise it. For more information on PROOF click here (http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/infoAndGuide/proof.shtml)
Get the bigger picture
The Monitor service enables you to keep an eye on your competitors, business collaborators and your own company and 'monitor' which documents have been filed into Companies House. You know that certain company information lies within the public domain, so what could be more efficient than information that could help or protect your business being available to you the moment it is filed?  For more information on Monitor click here (http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/infoAndGuide/monitor.shtml)
Information supplied by Metropolitan Police Sterling Prevention Unit DTI Companies House in conjunction with DTI Companies House.      For further information go to the Companies House website http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk

View Your Credit File

Sign up today for your free trial of MyCallcredit's E-Alerts credit report monitoring service and take a decisive step towards protecting your credit history from identity theft
If MyCallcredit detects a change to your address or your credit balances or if any new credit agreements are opened in your name, early warnings that your identity may have been stolen, then you'll be told .
Click on the logo to access the site and view your credit report online.