Police advice to beat fraudsters
Warwickshire Police are raising awareness of identity crime as part of scam awareness month with the message 'there's only one you; keep it that way'.
Obtaining a person's identity, in the form of their personal details, gives criminals the opportunity to commit identity crime, such as fraud.
Fraudsters may be able to take over someone's existing bank accounts, open new ones, obtain credit cards, loans and mobile phone contracts, order goods and get genuine documents in that person's name.
Identity fraud was the largest fraud carried out against individuals, nationally, according to the Annual Fraud Indicator 2016, estimated at £5.4bn a year.
Warwickshire Police is urging people to be aware of the risk of this type of crime and to make sure they follow some simple steps to reduce the chances of falling victim.
Temporary Detective Chief Inspector, Tim Bower, said: "Cyber space provides numerous opportunities for fraudsters to get their hands on the personal data of unsuspecting people, often without them even realising.
"The good news is that there are simple steps that everyone can take to help protect themselves. We want people to be as well versed in looking after themselves in the virtual world as they are at keeping their belongings safe in the real world. Online cyber security should be as automatic as locking up homes and vehicles, for example."
July's awareness drive is being rolled out under the alliance's #Be Cyber Smart campaign, which is placing a particular focus on phishing, malware, passwords, antivirus and the importance of shredding documents containing personal details.
Advice to beat fraudsters includes choosing nonsensical passwords with numbers and symbols, using up to date antivirus software, to be aware of phishing emails that could be being used to obtain personal information and to generally stay vigilant.
More details are available by visiting www.warwickshire.police.uk/becybersmart
For further information about staying safe online go to www.getsafeonline.org and www.cyberstreetwise.com
If you have been a victim of fraud report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 20 40 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.
