Since punishment for Identity theft and recovery of stolen funds is so rare, the only viable course of action is PREVENTION. 

Here are 62 things you can do to help prevent your Identity being stolen:

Protect Yourself from Identity Theft and ID Fraud

Financial Identity Theft Protection

1. Check your credit file regularly.  Consider subscribing to a credit file monitoring service.  Check your children’s credit report too!  It has been known for children’s identities to be stolen
2. Check your credit card statements carefully, especially if you’ve just returned from overseas
3. Reduce the number of bank accounts and credit cards you use.  Close all dormant or unused accounts.  Close all old mobile phone accounts.  If appropriate ask your card issuer to reduce your credit limit.  Having lots of credit cards may reduce your credit rating and makes you more vulnerable to fraud
4. Consider using a separate credit card for petrol and restaurant purchases with a fairly low credit limit, so that if it is skimmed your risk is low financially and both you and your credit card company should notice fairly quickly
5. Consider a pre-paid credit card for foreign travel
6. Make sure that you are aware of your normal billing cycles.  A missing bill may mean that a thief has changed your address
7. Only carry the credit cards you are likely to need.  Keep all others security stored and check regularly that these are still in place
8. Keep your cheque book and guarantee card separate
9. To avoid "cheque washing" (someone gets hold of one of your cheques and fills out their own details) use a Uniball Gel Ink pen as the ink permeates the cheque paper preventing it from being washed
10. Avoid ATMs in places that don’t look right – hotel lobbies for example – especially if the ATM looks portable or the wires in the back are not plugged in
11. Keep your credit card close when you are shopping or eating out.  Watch how sales people and waiters handle your card.  Don’t let them take it out of your sight.  Be aware of card skimming
12. Use your credit card where possible rather than your debit card or your cheque book.  Under the Consumer Credit Act you may have protection for purchases between £100 and £30000
13. Complain to your credit card company when it sends you unsolicited free cheques encouraging you to transfer existing balances

Listen to these Top 13 Financial Tips

General Identity Theft Protection

1. Never reveal your date and place of birth to anyone you do not know and trustIdentity Documents
2. Do not put your DOB on your CV
3. If anyone asks for your place or date of birth, ask why they need it, what they’re going to do with it, and how are they going to keep it safe. If there’s no compelling reason to divulge it, just say no
4. Do not hand over your passport, driving licence, birth or marriage certificate to anyone unless you are absolutely certain of the need to do so.  Your birth certificate in particular needs to be kept safe as it provides valuable information to identity thieves.  Your birth certificate is only likely to be required by the Passport Office, your pension company or an insurance company
5. Never reveal you mother’s maiden name to anyone
6. Do not carry your driving licence with you.  If you are required to produce it to a police officer you will be able to produce it within seven days to a nominated police station
7. Find somewhere safe and secure at home to store unused credit cards, passports, driving licence, birth and marriage certificates and credit card statements.  Choose somewhere non-obvious.  Burglars now target your information – it’s easier to sell than goods and more valuable
8. Invest in a shredder.  It’s a “must-have”.  Shred everything.  Use a cross-cut or confetti shredder rather than a vertical shredder – it makes your documents much more difficult to reconstruct.  Shred or burn all confidential papers and credit card receipts before disposal
9. Don’t put your home address in your purse or wallet.  Just put your work or mobile phone number
10. Never reveal your National Insurance Number or your Driving Licence number to anyone
11. Use the Mailing, Telephone, Fax and Email Preference services to reduce the amount of direct marketing you receiveShred Everything
12. Consider opting out of allowing your details to be used for marketing from the Electoral Roll – put a tick in the “Edited Register” column
13. Arrange for your home phone number to be ex-directory
14. Consider removing your details from all web-based public directory services
15. Take a good look at your signature – if it’s easy to copy, consider changing it to something more difficult
16. If your mail arrives in a communal area, consider buying a locked mail box or using a PO Box
17. Treat job offers that look too good to be true with suspicion and don’t give out more personal information than is justified – double check the identify of those making the offer
18. Encourage everyone else living in the same household to be as careful as you
19. If you move house redirect your mail for at least 12 months
20. Check your credit files regularly after your move to ensure that no accounts remain listed at your old address and no new ones appear
21. Do not participate in surveys or competitions where you have to divulge personal information

Listen to these 20 General Top Tips and 5 Travelling Top Tips

Identity Theft Protection When Travelling

1. If you are travelling arrange to have your mail suspended or ask someone you trust to take care of it
2. Do not have your address on display on labels on your luggage when travelling – put contact information inside the case instead and consider using your work or mobile number
3. When checking into a hotel, consider leaving a cash deposit rather than using your credit card or consider using a pre-paid credit card.  If possible use work addresses and phone numbers rather than your home
4. Keep your travel documents and passport separate from your cards and keep them on you rather than in your hand luggage
5. Notify your card issuers before you travel abroad

Computers and Online - Be Safe Online from Identity Theft

1. Practice safe shopping online.  Shop only from secure sites.  Make sure that the url in the address bar starts with https:// (not http://) and has a picture of a padlock or an unbroken key in the bottom right corner.  Consider using a separate credit card for online purchases as it’s easier to keep track of fraudulent charges.  Make sure you log off properly and don’t make online purchases from internet cafes or WiFi hotspots or public computers
2. When disposing of old computers or laptops erase all the data from the hard disk at least 3 times and check that there are no CDs left in the CD Drive.  If you are throwing the computer out remove and physically destroy the hard disk
3. Never put confidential information in an email – emails are not secure and can be intercepted
4. Use good anti-virus software and keep it updated
5. Install operating system updates
6. Don’t download anything unless you’re sure it’s safe
7. Use Spy Killer and Ad Killer software
8. Read any pop-ups carefully and answer “No”
9. Use firewall and anti malware software
10. Make sure your wireless internet connection is encrypted
11. Do not make online purchases or deal with your online banking from an internet cafe or WiFi hotspot.  Turn off your wireless connection as soon as you can when using a WiFi hotspot
12. Do not use the same PIN or password everywhere
13. If you have a choice of password reminder, do not select your place of birth – use a different reminder.  If you have no other choice use a lie that you will remember, such as a relative’s place of birth
14. Improve your password discipline – don’t use pet’s names or dates of birth.  Use a mixture of letters and numbers
15. Consider using at least 3 email addresses, one for friends and family, one for financial sites and one for general use
16. Be aware of the dangers of using websites to locate old friends or colleagues
17. Consider removing your details from websites that list your name and address
18. Do not respond to suspicious emails – just delete them
19. Assume that all emails asking for personal information are frauds
20. Do not click on links in emails that purport to be from your bank or building society

Listen to these Top 20 Tips on how to Protect Yourself whilst Online

Company Identity Theft

If you are a Director of company, have all changes to Companies House monitored and alerted to you

Website

If you have a personal website and have registered a UK domain name in your personal name, opt out of having your personal details made public on the Whois database by going to www.nominet.org/other/whois/optout

Deceased Identity Theft

Protect deceased relatives by placing a “Deceased” note on the credit bureaus.  Use the bereavement register to reduce direct mail and use the Deceased Preference Service.  All this will help to prevent deceased identity theft