• Shred documents containing personal information prior to disposal, such as pre-approved credit applications, financial statements, bills, receipts and pay slips.  One of the best ways for criminals to get hold of personal details is by going through your rubbish for something as innocuous as a gas or electricity bill.
• Never give out personal information or account details over the phone, through the mail, or over the internet unless you have initiated the contact and know whom you are dealing with. Ask why a company or person needs specific information, how it will be used and protected, and whether it's optional or required.
• Collect your post. If you share the building you live in with other people, make sure you collect your post regularly.  When moving house, notify relevant organisations of your change of address as soon as possible and consider using a mail forwarding service for at least six months.

Protect your passwords

Passwords and PINs protect your information by keeping out those who do not have permission to access your account information. Some general suggestions for passwords are: 

• don't use obvious number combinations for PINs like 1234 or 4444
• don't use numbers such as birth dates, that would be easy to guess
• when you leave your computer either log out or activate a locked screensaver that requires a password to see the screen
• never divulge PINs or passwords to anyone, not even family members

Information can be stored in a browser after you log out of a website, and someone may be able to use the browser's 'back' button to view this information. To avoid this, log out and close your browser when you leave your computer unattended to minimize any security risk.

Monitor your financial statements

Review account and credit card statements when they arrive for unauthorized transactions. If your statement is late, call to confirm your current address and account balances.

Promptly read mail from your financial institutions. It may contain a confirmation of an unauthorised change or transaction you did not initiate. 

Check your credit rating regularly

Order a copy of your credit report annually from one of the three major credit reporting bureaux:

• Equifax - www.equifax.co.uk^†
• Experian - www.experian.co.uk^†
• Call Credit - www.callcredit.co.uk^†

Carefully review your credit report and contact the company directly for any accounts or lines of credit that you did not establish. Report the matter to your local police and ask for a crime reference number.

Know the warning signs of identity theft

Identity theft warning signs include:

• seeing unauthorised charges or withdrawals
• failing to receive renewed credit cards, routine bills, statements or other mail
• receiving credit cards for which you did not apply
• receiving notices or other alerts for changes you did not initiate
• receiving denial of credit for no apparent reason
• receiving calls or letters about merchandise or services you did not purchase

Although unexpected changes to your accounts could be the result of a simple error, never assume a mistake has been made that will automatically be corrected. Follow up with the business or institution in question to rectify the situation.

• Review your credit reports and place a fraud alert on your accounts if you detect unauthorised activity. This can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in your name by requiring credit issuers to call you before extending credit.
• Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. If you're closing existing accounts and opening new ones, use new PINs and passwords.
• Report it to the police and keep a copy of the crime number to validate your claims to creditors.

• the Home Office's identity theft website – www.identity-theft.org.uk^†
• the UK's Fraud Prevention Service CIFAS website – www.cifas.org.uk^†    

Call 0800 41 41 61 if you ever think your Fidelity account has been compromised.