Make sure you don't become a victim of identity theft.
Your personal data is valuable, so be cautious in what you share and how you share it. What you disclose online (or throw out with your rubbish) can tell fraudsters all they need to know to use your personal information for monetary gain.
How do fraudsters get hold of your personal data?
We’ve all heard about incidents where personal information held by a service provider is accessed and/or disclosed by hackers as a result of a data breach.
But more commonly, fraudsters access personal details by phishing, trawling social media, cold calling (vishing), or by common theft.
What can you do to protect yourself?
There are simple but effective steps that you can take to minimise the risk of personal data loss and or identity theft.
- Protect all your devices with strong passwords.
- Use 2 factor authentication wherever you can when using online services.
- Shred or securely dispose of paperwork you no longer need.
- Don’t send personal information by email or text.
- Never give out personal information over the phone unless you are absolutely sure who you are speaking to.
- Monitor your credit rating so you’ll be aware of any unauthorised or suspicious activity.
- Never share personal information on social media and check your privacy settings regularly.
Useful Resources
- Password advice
- Check if your email address has been compromised
- Manage your Privacy Settings on Social Media
- Credit Reference Agencies:
Author: Security Team, Digital and Information Services