Fraud doesn’t just affect businesses.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) private individuals are more likely to fall victim to fraud or cyber offences above any other crime. In fact 35% of the £2.2bn lost by victims annually is from private individuals.
What to do if you fall victim to fraud or a cyber attack?
If you fall victim to a fraud or cyber attack, firstly, report it to your bank or Building Society, as they may be able to recover your money before it gets into the fraudster’s hands.
Next, report it to Action Fraud – the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
How to identify online fraud/ cyber attacks?
There are many different types of fraud. The ‘A to Z’ of fraud on the Action Fraud website lists everything from Pensions scams and charity frauds, to ticketing scams and holiday frauds. It pays to get clued-up on the various ways fraudsters try to part you from your money.
8 top tips for reducing your chances of falling victim to cybercrime:
- Do not give any personal information to organisations or people before verifying their credentials
- Install up-to-date anti-virus and firewalls across all your household computers.
- Never give out PIN numbers or passwords to anyone claiming to be contacting you from your bank or Building Society. Call your bank using the phone number on a genuine piece of correspondence or website (typed directly into the address bar) to check if you’re not sure if a communication is legitimate.
- Never automatically click on a links you weren’t expecting or from an unexpected email or text. Even if it is from a family member or friend.
- Sign-up to banking verifications such as Verified by Visa or MasterCard Secure Code whenever you are given the option while shopping online. This adds an additional layer of security to online transactions with signed-up retailers.
- Destroy and preferably shred personal documents such as receipts with your card details on and post with your name and address on. Identity fraudsters don’t need much information in order to be able to clone your identity.
- Double-check any bills, invoices or receipts for things that you don’t remember buying. Your identity may have been stolen.
- Be wary of post, phone calls or emails offering you business deals out of the blue. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.
To read more about how to protect your family against specific cyber threats check out our pieces below:
- 10 practical tips for keeping your family protected online
- Protection against online harassment and cyberbullying
To understand more about your personal or business cyber risk, or contact us today by phone +03300 940177, or by email contact@partnersand.com.
