Remember, never share your personal information if you have doubt.
Unfortunately, scams are everywhere, but there are a few common ones that you can familiarise yourself with so you know the telltale signs and can be one step ahead in keeping your information safe.
Identity fraud
Identity theft is when a fraudster obtains enough information (such as name, DOB, address) to commit identity fraud. This could be opening bank accounts in your name, obtaining credit cards, loans or hire-purchase agreements, ordering goods or taking out genuine documents such as passports and driving licences in your name.
Protecting yourself
- Be careful about how much of your personal information is available online
- Review the privacy settings on your social media accounts and think about what you share online
- Never give out private information over email, text, letter or phone call unless you’re certain that the request has come from a legitimate company
- Install the latest software, app and operating system updates on your computer/mobile devices, or set them to update automatically
- Ensure your passwords are strong and you’re not using the same one for more than one account
- Don’t connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots when doing anything confidential online
- File sensitive documents securely, and shred those you no longer need
Push payment fraud
Push payment fraud is a scam where fraudsters convince you to transfer money to them. They’ll pose as a legitimate business or individual who is known to you (usually via email) to inform you that their bank account details have changed and to make a payment to the new account. Fraudsters can intercept emails, so may already have enough information to convince you that they’re real, such as who you are due to make a payment to.
What to look out for
- Be wary of unexpected emails from a business or individual letting you know that their payment details have changed
- Don’t make any payments without checking that the details are correct from a trusted email/phone number
Online shopping scams
Always keep alert when shopping online. Fraudsters may mimic websites in order to appear legitimate, or even sell goods/services that don’t exist.
Things you can do
- Research the business to check they’re genuine
- Question the quality of the website – does it look professional?
- Look at customer reviews to see previous experiences
