Identity Fraud

**A face** · 26/12/2005, 8:15 PM

What can you do to stop it ??

Had a convo in the pub before we got drunk about the eastern Europeans that were caught here recently, mixed up with identity fraud and dodgy credit cards and the like. We didnt really know what they were at but discussed the indentity fraud issue. Basically, it is very easy to obtain the information. Full name, address, photo would all be very easy things to get on practically anyone who was unsuspecting.

What can you do to prevent it, not alot against anyone who is resourceful and intent. Is there anyway of making it harder for people to apply that information ?

**Lionel Ritchie** · 27/12/2005, 11:17 AM

I suppose an obvious one that I've been doing for about 18 months now is shredding anything with my name on it before it goes in the bin. I mean everything -from birthday cards to utility bills to those annoying yokes the likes of tesco and supervalue send out. We've also obliterated our name from our wheelie bin sticker which caused a bit of hassle for us but we ironed it out with a phonecall.

**A face** · 27/12/2005, 6:07 PM

Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

I suppose an obvious one that I've been doing for about 18 months now is shredding anything with my name on it before it goes in the bin. I mean everything -from birthday cards to utility bills to those annoying yokes the likes of tesco and supervalue send out. We've also obliterated our name from our wheelie bin sticker which caused a bit of hassle for us but we ironed it out with a phonecall.

They are measures that you'll always have to police, if you know what i mean .... and even at that, they may still get your info via social engineering or whatever. Its a dodgy one alright !!

**A face** · 16/01/2006, 11:35 AM

Bump .... just wondering about this lads !!

**dahamsta** · 16/01/2006, 11:43 AM

What are you wondering Face? Lionel pretty much covered the basics there.

adam /who's had his identity stolen, so it can happen to anyone

**dcfcsteve** · 16/01/2006, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

I suppose an obvious one that I've been doing for about 18 months now is shredding anything with my name on it before it goes in the bin. I mean everything -from birthday cards to utility bills to those annoying yokes the likes of tesco and supervalue send out. We've also obliterated our name from our wheelie bin sticker which caused a bit of hassle for us but we ironed it out with a phonecall.

I do similar, but I'm not as rigorous as you. I usually rip-up anything with my name and address on, and then shred anything that in any way connects to my financial identity (e.g. bills, invoices etc).

Shredding birthday cards is a bit OTT to be honest. If you wants the name of someone who lives at a certain address, usually you can get that info from either the electoral registry and/or the phone book (there are sites that let you do 'reverse searches' when you have only the address but not the name).

Some fecker tried to knick my identity in Dec 2004. First I knew of it was when my bank forwarded me a letter they'd received from someone claiming to be me, saying they were notifying them of a new address. They had all the necessary info - name, account number, DOB etc, and had my signature done absolutely perfectly (apparently they're scanned, ansd then printed out in a way that makes them look like they've been done by hand). The one thing that saved me was the fact that I'd changed address a few months earlier myself without telling the bank (I still own the property they had me registered at previously). The fraudster used my new address, but as the bank only had my old one they wrote to me there to say they'd had a request from an address they didn't recognise.

I'm 99.9% sure that the source of the info the fraudster used was my local gym. That was the ONLY place I'd given my new address to, and an error I gave them in the postcode was replicated exactly in the address the fraudster gave to my bank. However - there is also a small chance they got the info from 'Companies House' in the UK. Apparently, for a small fee it is possible to access all the forms that someone submits when they set-up a company - including their signature. Surely that shouldn't be allowed !

Anyways - through this incident I got a real insight into the wonderful world of identity theft from the Barclays fraud team. As the Companies House example above shows - being careful with how you dispose of your personal information will help in reducing your exposure to it, but the simple fact is that there are numerous sources outside of your control that they can access info from (e.g. your local gym's records !), so I really don't know how anyone can ever be safe.

If you're REALLY worried about it - my bank now have a password on my account that has to be quoted in order to do ANY transaction. If someone walked into a branch claiming to be me and had everything EXCEPT that password, then the theory is that they'd be arrested on the spot. I'm not sure if Irish banks are able to offer a similar system ?

**pete** · 16/01/2006, 12:05 PM

I always tear up anything that goes in the bin but wouldn't go as far as shreading paper.

I don't know if this would work for identity fraud but a handy way to determine where spam is coming from is to change your middle initial when subsribing to certain services. I've done this for magazine subscription & know excatly where the mail marketing coming from...

**dcfcsteve** · 16/01/2006, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by pete

I always tear up anything that goes in the bill but wouldn't go as far as shreading paper.

I don't know if this would work for identity fraud but a handle way to determine where spam is coming from is to change your middle initial when subsribing to certain services. I've done this for magazine subscription & know excatly where the mail marketing coming from...

Pete - would be a lot easier to just tick the opt-out box when you fill-in your info to say you don't want to receive such marketing !

I'm assuming here though that Ireland has similar Data Protection rules to the UK ?

**pete** · 16/01/2006, 12:13 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Pete - would be a lot easier to just tick the opt-out box when you fill-in your info to say you don't want to receive such marketing !

I'm sure i did that but as its in-house marketing maybe i don't have a choice...

**Lionel Ritchie** · 16/01/2006, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

I do similar, but I'm not as rigorous as you. I usually rip-up anything with my name and address on, and then shred anything that in any way connects to my financial identity (e.g. bills, invoices etc).

Shredding birthday cards is a bit OTT to be honest. If you wants the name of someone who lives at a certain address, usually you can get that info from either the electoral registry and/or the phone book (there are sites that let you do 'reverse searches' when you have only the address but not the name)

Most likely it is OTT -except for the fact that they might supply that extra bit of information quite useful to someone who might have an amount of info on you already. things like DOB are obvious but -Wifes name, kids names, siblings names ... possibly parents (or in-laws) names. When you're trying to pass yourself off someone else it all helps -perhaps more than we realise. So if I'm plugging in ol' Shreddy for the utility bills ...what's the harm in passing anything with a name on it through too.

**dahamsta** · 16/01/2006, 12:49 PM

No harm Lionel, however it's probably overkill. The things identity thieves look for are picture ids and utility bills (and online credentials, obviously). They'll really only be interested in these other items if they have one of the above. I doubt anybody's suggesting that you shouldn't do it, more that it's probably a waste of energy.

adam

**dcfcsteve** · 16/01/2006, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by Lionel Ritchie

Most likely it is OTT -except for the fact that they might supply that extra bit of information quite useful to someone who might have an amount of info on you already. things like DOB are obvious but -Wifes name, kids names, siblings names ... possibly parents (or in-laws) names. When you're trying to pass yourself off someone else it all helps -perhaps more than we realise. So if I'm plugging in ol' Shreddy for the utility bills ...what's the harm in passing anything with a name on it through too.

Hang on - is this the real Lionel Richie......?

As Ken said - no harm, but it probably is over-kill. I've never ever had to give details of any of my relatives etc in conducting my rather sordid and complicated financial life. The one exception is your mother's maiden name - which is a widely used security question, purely because it is so difficult for people to find it out coincidentally/randomly. Bank's, utility companies etc have absolutely no need to know who your auntie or kids are.

**Lionel Ritchie** · 16/01/2006, 2:02 PM

Originally Posted by dcfcsteve

Hang on - is this the real Lionel Richie......?

As Ken said - no harm, but it probably is over-kill. I've never ever had to give details of any of my relatives etc in conducting my rather sordid and complicated financial life. The one exception is your mother's maiden name - which is a widely used security question, purely because it is so difficult for people to find it out coincidentally/randomly. Bank's, utility companies etc have absolutely no need to know who your auntie or kids are.

well if i am i cant spell my own name correctly - as you can.

My handle is my mark of shame as circumstances conspire to ensure I am one of those despised creatures scousers have been known to refer to as "commodores" (Once, Twice, Three times a season....)

maybe if I spent less time shredding birthday cards I'd make it to more Lims games.