Would you like to find out how healthy your attitude to your personal information is and how much you could be exposing yourself to identity crime? Try out our personal information quiz and find out how much you know.
You can take these simple steps to help safeguard your information:
- Store documents carrying any personal details in a safe place.
- Shed or destroy all documents containing any personal details before throwing them away.
- Ask the Post Office for advice on secure postage if you have to post any personal documents.
- Limit the number of documents containing personal details which you carry around on a daily basis.
- Check your bank and credit card statements carefully for unfamiliar transactions.
- Use different passwords and PINs for different accounts.
- Be careful when using public computers to access your personal information. Remove personal details on screen and uncheck the ‘remember password’ box.
- Check your credit file regularly for any suspicious applications.
- Always think about who you are giving information to and why they would need it. Don’t be afraid to ask.
- Protect your home computer with anti-virus, firewall and anti-spam software before going online.
- When you move house, redirect all your mail and inform your bank, utilities companies and other organisations of your new address.