A BBC report in 2005 claimed that over a quarter of all UK adults had either been a victim of ID fraud or they personally knew someone who had. Thankfully this number has now fallen – mainly because more people are becoming aware of the risks associated with credit cards, bank accounts and the internet. The banks and building societies have also done their bit in the fight against ID fraud and today their protection policies are as solid as they possibly can be.

Unfortunately ID fraud does still occur though and at the end of the day it is up to you to prevent it. Fraudsters can wipe your bank account out with the blink of an eye or apply for enough credit in your name to holiday in the Bahamas for the next couple of years…so do what you can to prevent it. The list below provides a variety of suggestions that may help to stop it from happening to you and to catch it fast if you are unlucky enough to become a victim.

• Check your credit card accounts every two weeks at least.
• Check your bank accounts every week at least.
• If you do not want to close an account, make sure you check it at least once a month.
• Order your credit report once or twice a year.
• Shred your documents. Any documents that have your address, name, account numbers, and other personal information need to be shredded with a crosscut shredder.
• Do not share your information with anyone. Sadly, some friends are not as honest as they should be.
• When using online shopping sites you need to check for their security. Do they offer an https:// site and the “lock” on the browser? If they do not you will want to consider the potential dangers of giving out your information.
• Do not leave your credit card unattended. If the waiter or customer service representative has to leave the area with your credit card, follow them.
• Never leave your pins or passwords lying around.
• Make sure you are secretly entering the passwords and pins. You never know who might be looking over your shoulder.
• If you use a wireless internet connection then make sure you have great internet security. It is advisable not to enter credit card or bank account details over a wireless network but if you must then make sure your security system has all of the available options turned on.

Should you find you have been a victim of ID fraud then you need to contact your bank/building society or credit card issuer as soon as possible so that extra measures can be taken. In most cases, providing there is no evidence to say you were part of the fraud, banks and building societies will cover your losses however credit card issuers tend to have their own rules and these will be somewhere in their Terms & Conditions leaflet. If you stay vigilant though then ID fraud should never affect you and if you pass these tips on to your friends and family then they can stay safe too.