National ID Fraud Prevention Week is launched across the UK from 16- 22 October 2006.
This initiative, promoted by the Home Office, provides a range of educational and prevention advice for the general public highlighting the growing trend of ID theft, and outlines actions which are underway throughout the financial services industry to minimise this increasing risk.
ID Theft affects more than 100,000 people every year in the UK and the Home Office estimate that it costs the UK economy £1.7 billion per annum.
Remember there are sensible things you can do to protect your details:
- Lock away (preferably at home) all valuable personal documents and receipts, remembering to keep chequebooks and cards separately.
- When discarding personal information, which is no longer required, such as bank statements and old plastic cards ensure that these are shredded and destroyed.
- Check all bank statements carefully and immediately report any unrecognisable or suspicious transactions to your branch.
Identity Theft
The Home Office provide additional information about Identity Theft including how to protect yourself and what to do if it happens to you. Please visit www.identitytheft.org.uk for further details.
If you feel that you have become a victim of this kind of fraud then please call our Fraud Detection telephone number +44 (0)20 7700 0011 immediately.
Fraud Prevention
Coutts is committed to fraud prevention and has published it’s own guidelines on online fraud. Please click here for further information.
Coutts also offers Clients the opportunity to register with PrivacyGuard™, a proactive identity fraud prevention service offered by CIMS Limited. Please click here to find out more.