PW_2_2021

Article

Identity Theft a word of caution D.B. Lewis , Scarborough Branch & Writers SIG In November 2020 David Lewis became a victim of ‘Identity Theft’. So far it has taken 50 lost hours and a

great deal of angst to deal with. This is his view of being a victim. A fter 40 years in and around policing, it is hard to accept that I am now a victim of crime. It goes against the grain doesn’t it? The crime was that I had my identity stolen, one of today’s fastest growing crimes. In my case, as far as the paper trail can tell, my identity has been used 11 times so far, all the crimes being the obtaining of motor vehicle insurances by deception. What do I feel? At first, it was only a sense of irritation and annoyance. On the scale of ‘being a victim,’ for most people this type of offence probably comes at the bottom of the scale. But as the letters from the insurance companies continue to flow into my letter box, I have become increasingly uneasy. There are effects, the most obvious being the possible effect on my credit rating. Then the demands for payment started to arrive and, rather perversely, I even received a cheque for overpayment from one insurer. It has taken me over 50 hours so far to deal with it all. I am the victim of what they call a ‘Ghost Broker’ scam, a criminal who obtains insurance cover for ‘clients’ using my name, address and date of birth (the incorrect date of birth as it happens but who checks?) Although crimes such as mine are low on the priority list for the police, collectively they actually have a higher impact on individual victims, many of whom are ageing. There are many online organizations offering advice and help to protect yourself but the three basic first steps after you become aware you are a victim of identity theft should be; 1 The first thing is to report the matter to the police and obtain a reference number. The police will automatically report this to the Action Fraud hot line. 2 The second step is to consider implementing ‘Protective Registration’ and ‘Victim of Personation’ status with CiFAS. CiFAS is an independent organisation, that for £25 will register your details for 24 months. Once you have ‘Protective Registration’ and ‘Victim of Personation’ status a flag is placed alongside your name and personal details in a secure National Fraud Database. Companies and organisations who are signed up as members of the database see you are at risk and take extra steps to protect you, preventing fraudsters from using your details to apply for products and services. There is a slight delay then when you apply for credit yourself whilst shopping, but the delay is minor compared to the time spent in dealing with the frauds. 3 The third step is to check your credit reference. In the UK, companies called ‘credit reference agencies’ (CRAs) compile information on how well you manage credit and make your payments. Then there are a few basic ‘life routines’ you can adopt to help prevent your identity being stolen. Not disclosing personal details on social media, (a frequent source of identity theft); making sure you shred all personal details before they are consigned to the bin and not keeping copies of passports or driving licences on your computer, in case of hacking. We are now so well documented, that personal details are easily accessible to just about anyone with the intent to obtain and use them. Identity theft and identity fraud are major challenges to

Credit Reference Agencies The credit reference agencies provide a free victims of fraud service for anyone who has had their personal details used fraudulently. Importantly, the credit reference agencies liaise with each other and the banks, to restore compromised personal credit records. Equifax Phone: 0800 121 4752 Web: www.equifax.co.uk/ask Callcredit Phone: 0870 060 1414 Email: vof@callcreditgroup.com Experian Phone: 0844 481 8000 Email: consumer.helpservice@ uk.experian.com Experian Credit Expert Web: www.creditexpert.co.uk ClearScore Web: www.clearscore.com Noddle Web: www.noddle.co.uk

policing today, but together they are challenges that must be met. There are far too many victims and a more holistic approach is needed.

POLICE WORLD Vol 66 No.2, 2021

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