Firstly, two general tips:
1. Keep your eye regularly on your transactions
Use your access to internet banking and card services to check your account statements regularly. If you spot anything unusual, contact your bank or card provider immediately. Doing so if something is wrong helps avoid complications in getting your money back.
2. Check your credit regularly
If you are registered with a credit reference agency like Experian or Equifax, look at your credit file to see if any institutions or lenders have checked your file recently. This will tell you if anyone has applied for cards, loans or bank accounts in your name.
The next three tips are about avoiding sharing your personal information with the criminals:
3. Shred your old paperwork
You donât want criminals to be able to go through your rubbish and find documents that you might have thrown away. Your old receipts can have your card details on them, old bills will have your name and address. Old energy bills or statements can help a criminal open new accounts in your name.
4. If you move and change your address â tell everyone you do business with
If you move house, make sure you inform your bank, utility providers and anyone else who might send you a bill. Donât leave non-redirected mail for others to find and open.
5. If you go away on holiday or businessâŚ
Ask your neighbours to check that your mail is pushed fully through the door. Donât advertise your absence or enable the criminal to read all your bills or statements, etc.
When using your credit or debit cardâŚ
6. Keep your eye on your card
If you hand your card over in a shop, bar, restaurant or petrol station, whoever is serving you could quickly swipe it over a machine that copies the magnetic strip before they hand your card back. They then have all the information needed to make an identical copy of your debit or credit card and there are many ways a criminal can use this without needing your pin.
7. Protect your Pin
Your Pin is your secret â keep it that way. Be wary when keying in your Pin at the ATM or the till. Hide your Pin number from prying eyes or scanners. With any password, check how strong it is â donât write it down anywhere and never tell anyone else what it is. If you have told someone your Pin, or your Pin is written down somewhere in your wallet, which is stolen, you could be liable for any losses.
On the InternetâŚ
8. Be wary of unsecured connections
You should have the quality firewalls set up on your computer, tablet or smartphone, so that hackers cannot get access to your data. Do not do your internet banking or shopping online via a shared computer or if using a publicly accessible computer, for example in a holiday hotel. Other people may gain access to your information.
9. Donât click on phishing emails
If you get an email from your bank or building society which you have not normally expected, itâs very unlikely to be legitimate. If itâs asking you to click on a link and enter your customer number, password or personal details, itâs a âphishingâ email from criminals trying to steal your bank details. If in doubt, phone your bank or building society!
FinallyâŚ
10. Avoid having multiple cards
Donât become a card collector. It can be difficult if you are not in control of your finances and you try to take advantage of the many credit loyalty and credit transfer offers. But how can you adequately keep track of many cards â how long would it be before you noticed you had lost one? One debit and one credit card is good!
