ID Theft and Protecting Your ID

In this day and age, with technology becoming easier to access, thieves have stepped up their games. You no longer need worry about theft at home, but have to star protecting yourself from identity theft as well as cyber crime, and even thieves pretending to be people they aren’t.  With get at home technology such as 3d Printers and plastic card printing available cheap, you have to be on the lookout for people masquerading as someone else.

On the other hand you have to make sure that you don’t allow people access to your private details which may enable them to pass off themselves as you. Of course, not all attempts like these work, but they do work more often than you think. With that in mind, here are a few tips to keep your identity safe:

Top Three Tips on Protecting your Identity

-          Keep all your plastic cards safe

-          Keep your personal documents in a safe place

-          Keep your passwords and PINs safe

Understanding When you are at Risk

If you have had any of the following lost or stolen:

-          Credit Cards

-          Passport

-          Cheque Book

-          Driving License

-          Bank Statements

Signs that you have been compromised

-          If you receive bills that you don’t recognise

-          Your bills and bank statements or credit card statements stop coming through the post

-          If you apply for benefits, but are declined under the guise that you are already claiming

-          Credit card applications get denied – and you don’t know why

-          Your credit score takes a hit despite you not doing anything to damage it

-          You notice transactions or withdrawals on your statements that you cant explain

ID Theft Protection Resources

The ICO’s office advises on keeping an eye on your finances to understand if you have been compromised.

UK Data Protection and Identity Theft Guidelines http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/governmentcitizensandrights/yourrightsandresponsibilities/dg_10031451

Information Commissioners office and Identity Theft http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_the_public/topic_specific_guides/identity_theft.aspx

Spotting Online Scam http://www.banksafeonline.org.uk/spotting_scams.html

Crimestoppers Online Guide on ID Theft http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/fraud/types-of-fraud/online-fraud/identity-theft-and-fraud

Stop ID Fraud Guides (PDF Downloads) http://www.stop-idfraud.co.uk/resource-centre.aspx

Protecting your home from thieves

Keep your home safe from criminals

When you’re a home owner, tenant or lodger, there is a variety of excellent routes you can take to ensure your home and property are always fully protected and safe from burglars or intruders. Be sure to check our advice and put into action any areas that need improvement.

As surprising as it is, many people still leave spare home keys outside in case they lose or forget their own keys. Storing additional keys in an outside location such as a shed, garden area, garage or under a doormat is inviting a thief inside. Many criminals will check the most obvious hiding places and by leaving keys easily accessible you are making life simple for a potential intruder. Always attempt to keep sheds, garage areas and other exterior buildings locked and secured, alarming these with a battery powered system if possible.

Night time hours are favoured by burglars

Many burglaries occur during the evening hours or at night time; in fact 58% of break-ins are carried out after dark, with only 34% of burglaries at the weekend period. Ensure you keep curtains or blinds closed during the night, carefully removing any items of value out of sight so they may not be seen outside your property.

Remember not to leave door or window keys in place, within their locks. Always make sure that car keys or outside property keys (like a garage) are hidden from view and especially out of sight from a thief who could be looking through a letterbox.

If you are away or out for any period of time, especially during the night hours, it is a good idea to utilise timing devices for radios, lights and other household appliances. They can give the illusion that someone is resident at home to a thief by switching items on and off, even if the property is empty at the time.

Secure doors and windows

Externally opening doors are recommended to always consist of three points which are lockable. Locks of a mortice nature can add significantly improved safety to a door, purchase these online or via any reputable DIY shop. Deadlocks fitted to doors can prevent a thief from exiting your home after stealing, but never compromise your personal safety and ensure security improvements do not ever prevent a safe exit in case of emergency such as fire.

Remember to close doors and windows, even if leaving your home for a short period, thieves only need a moment to steal! When new metal or PVC built windows and doors are fitted to a property, check if these will come with an included chain and locks attached, adding these afterwards can sometimes be expensive and difficult.

Older windows or those that have no security can be easy routes inside, look into safeguarding these further with window locks. They can be a preventative nature in stopping a thief from entering your property, particularly where windows in place are single glazed or of older designs. Specially designed locks for patio doors and openings should be used at all times and added to unsafe areas, a locksmith or online service can advise further.

Lighting and CCTV

To discourage a thief from checking your property, well lit areas using security lighting and other means are advisable, alongside a good burglar alarm system which is highly visible to any unwanted visitor. Always ensure that lights do not affect your neighbours or cause any unwanted nuisance and alarm systems have an automatic cut off after a twenty minute period. CCTV systems can also be an excellent deterrent in stopping thieves in your locality.

Spy holes fitted to doors can be an excellent way in which to first see who is on the doorstep, before a door is opened. Always remember, Stop, Chain and Check especially when not expecting a visitor to call or if they are unknown.

Garden and outside property security is vital, do not place temptation within an easy route for thieves, remove this from sight and keep in locked garages or sheds. Leaving ladders and garden tools outside can be equipping the thief with an easier method of break in. Fit quality built padlocks to secure outside property areas if they have no locks in place.

Installing secure fences, shrubbery, trees and walled areas to protect your home can inadvertently lead to giving a wary thief the needed protection to go unseen whilst breaking in to a property. Consider replacing these with trellis areas, fencing of chain-link nature or shrubs that are prickly and sharp.

Security mark personal items and valuables

Remember to always security mark your property and possessions with a marking product, these are easy to obtain and can be an excellent way in identifying or recovering stolen property.

Finally, neighbourhood watch schemes that operate in your communities are an excellent source of further advice and help, as is your local police service or crime prevention officer.

Bank Holiday Burglars

Police warn over expected crime rates during bank holidays

With the sheer amount of bank holidays during April and May, with hopefully expectant sunnier weather, the organised or opportunist thief is set to invade homes, burgle and steal property from under our noses.

Lovely summery climates always encourage home owners to open windows and doors to allow the cool breeze to circulate, but by leaving entrances open to burglars it presents a perfect invitation for the thief to invade your privacy and steal valuables.

Typical increases in the amount of burglaries are often seen during the warmer seasons of the UK. Whereas more insecure properties can experience an unwanted break in at any point of the year, a third of burgled homes easily let the thief in. They are allowed to effortlessly stroll into the area via doors which are not secured or locked, and simply by grabbing possessions from inside an opened window.

Consider that while you sit outside, enjoying the bank holiday with a leisurely approach, that a thief could be lurking in the background ready to hurriedly enter your property, without any knowledge.

A burglar only requires a few seconds to take goods and items from your home. With the added benefit of open entrance ways, this process is remarkably easy for bold thieves. By locking windows and doors, even when you are outside or located within your home, can drastically reduce or prevent the likelihood of a burglar preying on your property.

Ensure valuable items are not on display within open windows or through transparent doors, place them well out of the way and temptation from a would-be thief.

Follow these easy pointers to help in protecting your property

• Don’t allow any visitor inside your home, without first checking their identity. Remember, open the door on a chain. Stop, Chain, Check.

• Ensure keys are not left in locks and move these from being seen. It is not a good idea to leave them on tables or hooks nearby.

• When out, make sure that windows have been closed, move items of worth out of a thief’s view or reach.

• If you have a burglar alarm, set this. Consider purchasing one if you have not yet got a system installed.

• As dusk draws in and it becomes darker, curtains and blinds should be closed to prevent the inside of properties from being externally viewed.

• Use and join a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in your community, consider creating one if none exists.

• To confuse a thief you can set timing switches to activate lights on and off, this can make it appear you are home, even if out.

• Remember, always dial ’999′ in an emergency or ring your local police force contact telephone number. To report crime anonymously, Crimestoppers can be reached on 0800 555 111.

• List stolen property on our free listings to help get maximum coverage.

Be wary of the pickpocket thief

Pickpocket thieves

Pickpockets are the ‘portable’ menace in society, attempting to steal valuables and possessions from unsuspecting individuals, who are often present in public areas or crowded places within communities.

The pickpocket thief is resourceful, cunning and will resort in bold and successful methods in order to steal from innocent victims.

Within our pick pocket overview, we have first selected some useful tips and information to help keep you safe from the stealthy pickpocket on the street, with a finishing section which outlines some common cons that a thief can practice to get away with your valuables.

Always protect yourself from the pickpocket

1. Before you use them, try and remember to make a note of all details and identifying number information on a driver’s licence, bank or credit cards, cheque books or similar. It is also an excellent idea to have to hand their respective emergency contact telephone numbers, which will need to be used immediately when reporting any theft. Ensure this information is safely stored at home or within another secured location.

2. When on the move or stationary, try not to hold a handbag or purse in the hand as the item can be very simply forced from your grasp by way of a knock or via a grabbing attempt. Purchasing and using a bag which has a shoulder strap design can be highly beneficial, always ensuring the exterior pockets or flap area are placed against your body.

Pickpockets can sometimes attempt to cut shoulder straps to remove them from a person, so be wary of this possibility. Handbags which incorporate a top opening facility are often attractive to the pick pocket thief.

3. Whilst many individuals consider walking with hands placed in the pockets to be impolite, the benefit of doing so will stop a thief from gaining access to them.

4. Never place all valuables together in a bag or other holdall or even wallet, and especially ensure keys to your home are placed in a pocket area.

5. If you can, it is safer to always conceal bank cards or cash within individual pockets, purses or wallets. Where practical, dividing currency to place in all storage areas will result in less significant theft if you are pick pocketed.

6. When out and about making everyday purchases in the newsagent or train station for example, it is easy to display cash or jewellery items unwittingly. Try and ensure this does not occur and keep smaller amounts of money separately available in purses or wallets, to reduce temptation to the would-be thief.

7. By keeping wallets, money sleeves or purses out of reach in the interior pockets of coats and jackets, or front facing pockets they are less inviting to pickpockets. Never leave a wallet protruding from a back trouser pocket; this is an easy, favoured location where a thief can simply and deftly steal your cash.

8. When involved in any shopping in busy community areas, be very vigilant as pickpockets can often practice their trade. Be watchful around shop entrance ways, bargain hunter sections, lifts, escalator paths, or areas which feature product demonstrations. All of these areas and similar places can give crowded cover to protect the thief who discreetly steals from others.

9. Always be very observant of surroundings before a cash machine is used and try to avoid using an ATM at night or in a secluded area. Where you observe suspicious looking individuals or groups, choose another location instead. When involved in the process, ensure that you are closely standing in front of the machine to block any observers from noting your PIN number details or becoming aware of the nature of your transaction.

When leaving an ATM you can confuse a potential thief by deliberately walking a short distance in the opposite way you intended, then sharply reversing your route. If it is apparent you are being followed, seek help from nearby groups of people or summon police assistance, dialling ’999′ where required.

10. Never leave items you own in a publicly accessible place without proper supervision, even for just a moment. So whether you are inspecting the wall timetable in a train station and turn your back on bags for a moment, or you place them on the floor to use a cash machine, don’t perform this. In doing so, it can leave you a tempting and easy target for thieves

Avoid the pickpocket ruse

Professional thieves operating as pickpockets will commonly work with a partner who is responsible for a distraction, which then allows the thief to engage in robbing the ‘marked’ victim. These distracting techniques are employed via a number of frequent ways, which include the following:

1. Fighting – where a resulting argument can occur, groups of people will naturally begin to interact and move around each other to avoid the actual fight. In the resulting confusion, pickpockets can avail themselves of your wallet, handbag or purse.

2. The helpful member of public – if you ever witness a person who loudly shouts ‘be careful of the pickpockets’ or similar phrase, they may be attempting to incite you or others to instinctively reach for their money or valuables. By doing so, easily and simply alerts pickpockets in the area to the exact location of your items.

3. Accidents – the resulting confusion which can stem from an accident which is caused by another can be all the time a thief needs to steal from you. A slipped foot or dropped possession in a crowded area are all that’s required to cause an instant episode of uncertainty in the area, leaving you a potential mark.

4. The apology – this classic is still very effectively used by the pickpocket and involves a speedy interaction where a collision on your person is planned. Performed either by way of a knock, bump, spill of food and drink or similar, the thief apologises, and then rapidly disappears with your possessions in hand.

Don’t become a victim of online theft

Shopping online safely

There are now over 32 million people online in the UK. That’s about 65% of the adult population. More and more people use the internet to carry out their daily business ranging from banking to shopping. Year on year, the trend for internet retail sales has increased. Last year, the online retail sector grew 14%, bucking the general trend towards a slump on the High Street, and with an estimated £5.1 billion spent over all.

The disadvantage to this is that thieves and fraudsters are aware that there is a lot of money to be had in the online shopping world. They try lots of devious things to endeavour and con you out of your money, such as trying to obtain your bank details from you or taking your payment for an item, then not sending it. However, with a little knowledge and commonsense, you can protect yourself from this potential situation.

Top Tips for online security

1. Never respond to any sort of email or social networking message that asks you to give your bank account details and passwords. Be especially vigilant if an email that ‘looks’ like it came from your bank asks for your internet banking security passwords and do not respond to it. Banks have always stated that they NEVER ask for this type of information, so the message will be a fake. Delete the message and report it as being of a ‘phishing’ nature (a ‘phoney’ message, ‘fishing’ for information from you).

2. Check the site you are buying from has a ‘secure’ connection. Look for ‘https’ in the address bar and a padlock symbol before you put your credit card or bank details in to pay. Pay close attention to where the padlock is: if it is in the address bar or on the bottom of the frame of your browser, then it will be genuine. If it is in the main page you are reading, it is probably copied and so it is a fake. If you stick to well-known, reputable retailers, you reduce the chance of falling victim to internet fraud.

3. Make sure that you have good, up-to-date antivirus and anti-spyware software on your computer. These can often detect fake websites and increase your security.

4. Don’t ever leave PIN numbers or passwords in your purse or wallet. If you lose it, a thief will have everything they need to spend all your money online without question. If you do unfortunately lose your wallet or have it stolen, call your bank immediately to cancel your card. Then report it to the police and list it as missing using our free stolen listings.

5. Register debit cards with your bank to shop online securely. Many banks offer this additional level of protection where they can immediately phone your home number with a code number, so ask for details. When you answer your home phone, you take note of the number code and type it into a box on the computer screen. This way the bank knows it really is you that is carrying out the transaction and any potential thief would be thwarted.

6. Make sure that your children don’t know passwords and have access to personal bank cards. It’s all too easy for youngsters to go on a little spending spree or even give out your personal details unwittingly.

7. Change your passwords regularly. Every month is a good rule of thumb, and try not to use the same password for everything you do online. Make sure the passwords you use are ‘strong’. Your child’s’ name, for example, would be very easy to guess, so think of something more obscure and add numbers to it (some websites insist that numbers and letters are used).

8. Keep alert on auction sites like eBay. Check the seller’s reputation before going ahead with a bid. Use trusted methods of payment; be very suspicious if only money transfers are accepted, for example. Be especially cautious if it is an overseas seller.

9. Be very careful about what details you are sharing on social network sites. It’s very easy to just put all your personal details out there which leaves you open to fraud. Make use of the security settings on your page and lock it to the general public.

10. Remember the golden rule: If a deal looks too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be genuine. Avoid it at all costs and don’t proceed with the transaction. Above all, keep yourself and your details safe!