{"id":100,"date":"2018-11-28T07:00:26","date_gmt":"2018-11-28T07:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/?p=100"},"modified":"2018-11-24T11:46:29","modified_gmt":"2018-11-24T11:46:29","slug":"protecting-your-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/protecting-your-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Protecting your identity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Common ways fraudsters can steal your personal information<\/strong><\/p>\n

Identity theft is frighteningly widespread. No one can prevent all identity theft, and cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated in their attempts to steal your identity. Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and uses it to commit fraud or other crimes in your name.<\/p>\n

As individuals, throughout our lifetime we exchange personal information with a vast number of institutions including banks, credit cards suppliers, utility companies, supermarkets, government organisations and retailers. This may be to receive important services, but also to allow us to do the fun things like shopping, eating out or going on holiday.<\/p>\n

Fraudulent or stolen identities being used to make false applications for credit cards or loans, to obtain goods and services, or even to access money or other assets is naturally something that concerns us all. Worryingly, it is not untypical for a victim to first become aware of this when they receive a letter of demand for payment.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are a number of basic things we can all do as individuals to protect ourselves against identity crime and reduce the risk of our personal information falling into the wrong hands. If you discover your identity has been stolen, act immediately. Following these steps will help to minimise the impact and prevent additional issues from arising.<\/p>\n

1. Check your credit reports<\/strong><\/p>\n

At a small cost, you can check your credit file with a credit reference agency such as Call Credit, Equifax or Experian to help identify any activity that you are not aware of.<\/p>\n

2. Monitor your mail<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make sure you receive all post that you are expecting. If you think post is missing, contact the Royal Mail. Also, arrange for the Royal Mail to re-direct post to your new address if you have moved house, and inform companies that you deal with regularly that you have moved.<\/p>\n

3. Review bills and bank statements<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check bank, credit card and other financial statements frequently, and look out for transactions that you do not recognise. Check for fraudulent charges or suspicious activity. Report issues immediately. Consider receiving statements and bills electronically, setting up direct deposits, and using online bill pay.<\/p>\n

4. Identity theft protection<\/strong><\/p>\n

Identity theft protection providers monitor your credit reports, as well as online debit and credit card number(s). If suspicious activity is detected, you will be notified and will receive identity recovery assistance.<\/p>\n

5. Shred documents<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carefully dispose of documentation that contains personal details rather than just throwing them away. Use a cross-cut shredder to destroy envelopes and documents.<\/p>\n

6. Secure your computer(s) and mobile devices<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether a desktop, laptop, netbook, tablet or smartphone, your computer contains critical personal information. <\/p>\n

To help protect your electronic devices, you should also:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Password-protect your device
\n\u2022 Install and update operating system, antivirus and anti-spyware software. For smartphones, also install a \u2018wiping\u2019 program to erase all data remotely if it is lost or stolen
\n\u2022 Use a personal firewall
\n\u2022 When using a wireless network, activate WPA encryption and any other security features available. Change your router’s default password and SSID
\n\u2022 Beware of \u2018smishing\u2019 \u2013 text messages containing links capable of downloading malware to your smartphone
\n\u2022 Do not leave your device unattended or your screen visible to others
\n\u2022 Close your browser when you’re finished with a secure session
\n\u2022 Log off when you leave or step away<\/p>\n

Use caution online<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Only access personal and financial information from a computer you \u2018trust\u2019
\n\u2022 Only do business with financial institutions and online merchants you know and trust. Watch out for copycat sites, and confirm the email address is correct
\n\u2022 When accessing financial information or ordering online, be sure the site is secure. Look for a URL that begins with \u2018https:\/\/\u2019 and the \u2018closed padlock\u2019 symbol
\n\u2022 Never reply to an email or pop-up message that requests you provide or update your personal information<\/p>\n

On social media sites, it\u2019s always a good idea to:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 Review the privacy policy
\n\u2022 Choose a challenging password
\n\u2022 Don’t reveal your physical address, date of birth, school names or phone numbers
\n\u2022 Use privacy settings<\/p>\n

Need help? Have questions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you’re looking for further information or want to discuss any areas of concern, we\u2019re here to help. Please contact A1 Financial Solutions on 0131 347 8855 or email info@a1-financial.com \u2013 we look forward to hearing from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Common ways fraudsters can steal your personal information Identity theft is frighteningly widespread. No one can prevent all identity theft, and cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated in their attempts to steal your identity. Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personal information and uses it to commit fraud or other crimes in your name.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101,"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100\/revisions\/101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.a1-financial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}