Identity Fraud-Are you aware of it?

As recession swiped the entire nation, UK saw a big leap in identity fraud. Fraudsters target the common man as well as business firms. In UK, The Anonymous Attacker and CIFAS are some of the fraud prevention bodies that are fighting this odd. There was a special National Identity Fraud Week in UK in 2009 for warding off this evil.

Identity fraud can attack anyone. This happens when someone is trying to use your identity by fraudulently accessing your accounts. The credit crunch has given impetus to these frauds and as CIFAS reports; the percentage of victims has risen by 36% compared to previous years.

Frauds can be of various types. Current address fraud happens when a victim’s post is intercepted or redirected for accessing his accounts. Even ‘forwarding address fraud’ another facet of frauds in UK. Here the scammer tries to prove that the victim has already shifted his address. Fraudsters even attack those who are dead and forge their identities. This is called ‘deceased identity fraud”.

Experian survey reveals that fraudsters are now turning away from rich people to those who are thriving on lower income or rent homes in UK. Here they have a reason. Fraudsters can easily reach out to people with small income as their identity can be stolen with much ease. For instance people in UK who live in rented houses use hallways or mailboxes regularly. So if you are anticipating anything of this sort, it is better to more cautious.

If you are into social networking, make sure you do not let out much of your personal information. Don’t forget to activate tough privacy settings. If you are web savvy, make sure you access sites that start with “http” and a closed padlock symbol on your computer. Ensure firewall installation in your computers as well as anti-virus. Beware of phishing mails that come from fake websites asking you to verify or change your account details. Throw away unused or expired bank statements as well as unused credit cards. Keep your PIN and passwords safe. For more assistance and help you can visit: http://www.cifas.org.uk/.