As Christmas
approaches, many people shop online to buy gifts, and spend hours decluttering
their homes ready for visitors over the festive period. It is easy to get
caught up in the excitement of Christmas, but are we potentially putting our
identity at risk?
At Home
Many
families spend the beginning of December preparing their homes for Christmas.
Rooms are decluttered to create room for Christmas trees, decorations and cards
and it is easy for personal documents such as bank statements to be thrown away
accidentally or stored in easily locatable places such as bookcases or drawers.
Any
documents with personal details on – name, address, date of birth, National
Insurance Number, email address, phone number, or bank details – can be used by
criminals to steal your identity. Without your permission or knowledge, new
bank accounts could be set up, loans could be taken out and some criminals even
use your details to gain employment.
Always
ensure confidential documents are stored in an “out of sight” location, and
that you know exactly what is stored. It can be tempting to leave paperwork on a
bookcase or table, but this leaves your identity vulnerable, particularly if
you have visitors during the Christmas holidays. Sadly, more and more cases are
occurring where the victim knows the person who committed the identity theft.
Storing your documents in a private location can help avoid your details
falling into the wrong hands.
If you
are disposing of paperwork, ensure that anything with personal details on (even
if the details are old/expired) is shredded rather than simply torn into a few
pieces and thrown away with general waste.
Online
With
more and more people using the internet to buy Christmas gifts, it is important
that we protect our online identity also. If shopping online, ensure the
websites you are using begin with https (indicating a secure site) and that a
padlock symbol appears on your browser (often at the top of the page, but can
also be at the bottom). If you are unsure of the site you are browsing on, do
not enter your personal details, and shop elsewhere. Keep an eye on your bank
statements and report any unusual/unexpected transactions.
If you
have a computer in a communal place in your home, check your security settings,
particularly if you have guests staying over Christmas. Most of the time,
family members or friends using your computer is harmless, but if your
email/shopping accounts are always left logged in, other internet users could
easily (and accidentally) access personal information or make purchases.
The same
applies to games on tablets. Some games (including games aimed at children)
offer In App purchases e.g. extra lives or unlocking levels which require
payment. These In App purchases are quite quick to agree to (often a simple
click of a button if your card details are already logged on the system). If
you are allowing someone (especially young children) access to your tablet to
play games, ensure the In App purchase option is disabled, or ask them to ask
you before agreeing to payment. An unexpected bill in January for In App
purchases would not be a great start to 2015!
Protecting
your identity will ensure that the only thing you give away this Christmas is
presents.
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