The excitement of freshers’ week and a new academic year can mean that telling organisations about a new address or disposing of personal documents securely is the last thing on a student’s mind. Unfortunately this creates opportunities for an ID fraudster to get their hands on your personal information.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is urging students to protect themselves against identity theft by thinking before giving information away. It is advising them to update organisations with changes to personal details and to dispose of personal documents such as bank statements and bills securely.
David Smith, Deputy Commissioner at the ICO, said: “A number of factors combine to make students particularly vulnerable to identity fraudsters in the early weeks of the academic year. Almost every day they give out personal details, whether signing up to student clubs or opening a bank account. The ICO is urging students to think about who has their personal information and what they are doing with it. Your personal information is valuable – simply forgetting to update organisations when you have moved house and leaving your bank statements or university enrolment documents to be opened by someone else can be a gift to ID fraudsters. By following our top tips you can safeguard your information and reduce the risk of falling victim to ID fraud.”
The ICO’s top tips to avoid ID theft
- Store any documents carrying personal information, such as your driving licence, passport, bank statements, utility bills or credit card transaction receipts, in a safe and secure place.
- When no longer needed, shred or destroy your personal documents so that nothing showing your name, address or other details can be stolen.
- When you move house, make sure you update organisations such as your bank, mobile phone provider, energy providers and The Royal Mail with your new address – you don’t want the new tenants to have access to letters containing your personal information.
- Remember, less is more. The less you give away about yourself, the lower the risk of information falling into the wrong hands.
- Think before you buy – use a secure website which displays the company’s contact details, look for a golden padlock symbol, clear privacy and returns policies and user agreements.
The ICO’s student specific booklet ‘Your personal little book about protecting your personal information’ – is available to help students protect and manage their personal information. The booklet includes advice and tips on how to access the information that organisations hold about you, how to correct inaccurate information and how to reduce unwanted marketing calls and texts.
