In Part I of this series we considered how safe your personal data is and how quickly fraudsters could use it. Now we consider how to keep it safe. In Part III discover how to recover your money in the event that you’re scammed
EXPOSED (RECAP)
- Within 3 minutes of liking a post on Facebook people were startled at the personal data appearing on their take away coffee cups #datatogo
- Scam victims lose an average of £20k to fraudsters
- Fraud costs the UK £6k per second, £3k per head of population
SO, HOW CAN YOU KEEP YOUR DATA SAFE?
Conduct ‘data health checks’:
Regularly check your bank/credit card/store card/PayPal statements etc for any irregular or unexpected activity
Frequently change your passwords; use a combination of symbols, numbers, letters, lower case and upper case; make them non-personal
Check your credit reports
Review your social media accounts and delete anything giving away inappropriate information
Ensure you have appropriate privacy settings in place
Do a personal google search, you might be surprised what you find
Do your due diligence:
Check out investment opportunities with The FCA (@TheFCA), if it sounds too good to be true it probably is #TrustYourInitialInstincts
For pension liberation consult The Pensions Regulator (@TPRgovuk)
Check Companies House for entities’ filing history and accounts
Do a Google search on an entity, its owners and directors for any adverse information
Search insolvency notices on The Gazette for liquidation/administration/bankruptcy history
Check who you’re connecting with on LinkedIn, who’s following you on Twitter and Instagram, who you’re friends with on Facebook
Be cautious:
Don’t answer unsolicited calls; if you do, wait at least 5 minutes before dialling to ensure the original call is disconnected
Don’t open unexpected or unrecognised emails, text messages or web links
Ensure that websites are secure before inputting any personal data
Install and maintain appropriate security software. Knowhow Service Bars at some PC World stores offer computer health checks and spyware removal services for £60
It’s not just your identity that can be hijacked, that of people/firms you trust can be too. Consider verifying identity
- Don't give your PINs, passwords, cards or cheque books to anyone else
- Don’t part with any money upfront unless you’re certain of a person or entity’s credibility
Take action, share your experiences, help prevent others falling victim and stop fraudsters in their tracks, #fightfraud:
Report any concerns to Action Fraud@actionfrauduk #spotitreportit
Report suspect companies to The Insolvency Service, Companies House and/or the Serious Fraud Office
In the year to April 2016 The Insolvency Service made 1,208 director disqualifications and wound-up 131 companies in the public interest
- Share your experience – it could help others to speak up or to recognise that they are being targeted and avoid becoming a victim
Avoid #datatogo be #fraudalert #scamalert #scamsmart and #protectyourdata #protectyourmoney
In the event you are scammed discover how to recover your money in Part III of this series, coming soon
AssetTracingRecovery@uk.gt.com
