Everybody must consider identity theft and how to protect themselves as it’s on the rise and at worst could cost you lots of money if a thief gets access to your finances, at best it’ll cost you time and grief cancelling cards and altering computer passwords.

With the introduction of chip and pin security at retail outlets fraudsters are turning to card holder not present fraud increasingly, so anything that has your personal details on has a value.

Here are our top 5 tips to help protect you and make the thief’s goal more difficult:

Shred anything with personal information  including the envelope. It may sound simple but everything helps. Be wary who you give your personal details to, scammers will try lots of tricks. Change log-ins and pin numbers frequently and make them tricky for fraudsters to guess Reduce the personal data you keep in your handbag or wallet. One stolen wallet could be the door to someone’s new identity! Keep your rubbish bin secure and don’t put personal records in it  Thieves will go through your bin, yuck!

Stealing sensitive and personal information from rubbish and recycling bins is an increasing problem. Identity thieves are very clever at using your data for their own gain.  Any piece of paper with information including name, address, and details from your bank or credit card can be used for identity theft. Be safe and shred it!

Find the perfect shredder or just get extra help and advice at The Shredder Supermarket.com

Tags: Fraud, GUIDELINES, prevent