Identity theft at epidemic levels, warns Cifas

Identity theft at epidemic levels, warns Cifas (23 Aug 2017)

Identity theft is reaching "epidemic levels", according to a fraud prevention group, with people in their 30s the most targeted group.

How to protect yourself from identity crimes

• Limit the amount of personal information you give away on social networking sites. Your real friends know where you live and know your birthday
• Update your computer's firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware programmes. Up to 80% of cyber-threats can be removed by doing this
• Never share passwords or PINs (personal identification numbers) with others and do not write them down
• Use strong passwords and PINs - don't use your date of birth or your child's name, include a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and punctuation marks. Aim for a minimum of 10 characters in a password
• Do not use the same password or PIN for more than one account
• Shred all your financial documents before you throw them away

Source:Cifas

www.bbc.com/news/business-41011464