Identity theft affects more than 100,000 people every year. By finding out a few of your personal details, criminals can apply for bank accounts, credit cards, benefits and official documents in your name. You can protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft by taking a few simple steps.

How to protect yourself

A common way of getting your personal details is by stealing discarded documents, letters and receipts from your rubbish. You may also be contacted by telephone or email by someone pretending to be from a legitimate organisation, asking for personal information from you.

To protect yourself:

• shred all personal information before throwing it away in your rubbish; this includes anything referring to bank accounts, National Insurance details, salary information, and old bank cards
• delete any suspicious emails from organisations requesting personal information from you (banks will never ask for personal details by email)
• be extra vigilant when giving out personal information - it's easy for criminals to fake email addresses, websites, headed paper and other methods of communication
• if you move house, make sure you tell your bank and other organisations in advance, and arrange for the Royal Mail to redirect your mail
• tell the Royal Mail if you suspect your mail is going missing

More about protecting yourself - Identity Theft

How to tell when you are a victim

Possible signs that you have become a victim of identity theft include:

• mail going missing - this may include regular bank statements and credit card bills that suddenly stop arriving
• rubbish bags being tampered with or disappearing
• getting bills or letters about things that you haven’t bought or signed up for
• unusual payments or direct debits appearing on your bank statements

Things to look out for - Identity Theft

Further steps

Apply for a credit report

Apply for a copy of your credit files, which will include details of organisations that you have had financial dealings with in recent years.

There are three main credit reference agencies (Callcredit, Equifax and Experian), which may hold different information about you. A statutory credit report by post costs £2, or you can register for their online services.

When you receive your report, check through it thoroughly. If you find anything listed that you don’t recognise, contact the organisation immediately.

Callcredit

Equifax

Experian

Report stolen or missing mail

If you think your post is missing, contact the Royal Mail. You can report the details on the Royal Mail website, or speak to a customer service advisor on 08457 740 740. They will redirect your query to an investigations unit which will handle your enquiry.

Royal Mail - report late or lost mail

Notify your local police station

Even if you have no firm reason to believe you have become a victim of identity theft, you should always tell the police if your rubbish has been tampered with, or if you have any other related concerns.