Once a thief gets hold of your personal financial information and identity, he/she can quickly wreak havoc on your personal credit records — by obtaining loans, applying for payment cards and even financing mortgage payments, all in your good name.Your best defence against identity theft is prevention: by ensuring that thieves never gain access to your personal information.

According to recent research conducted by the US Federal Trade Commission, the cost of identity theft runs into hundreds of billions of rands, with over seven million people worldwide targeted in 2003.

Despite this, however, little is known about perpetrators’ modus operandi. It's a popular perception that most identity theft occurs over the internet. It has, however, been made clear that low-tech methods of getting personal information are even more accessible and effective.

One of the easiest low-tech methods to access personal information is to simply go through a company’s or someone’s discarded emails. Information such as identity numbers, dates of birth, account information, addresses and credit card details can all be found in these emails. After gathering this information, an identity thief can easily access a credit-clearing house online and apply for credit in the victim's name.

The majority of credit application forms or websites ask the customer if he/she would like additional cards. An identity thief would tick 'yes' and insert his/her own name. When the cards arrive, one will be in the victim's name and the other in the thief's name. The purchases will then begin without your knowledge or consent. In many cases, victims don't realise someone has preyed on their credit until the thief has expended the credit limit and depleted all available funds. The thief then moves onto the next victim.

While it is impossible to totally prevent becoming a victim of identity theft, there are ways to guard against identity theft:

  • Never leave your purse or wallet unattended; keep your personal data and information guarded at all times.

  • Pay attention to billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills do not arrive on time. A missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed your billing address to cover tracks.

  • Guard your mail from theft. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.

  • Put passwords on your credit card, phone and bank accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date etc.

  • Sign your credit and debit cards in permanent ink as soon as you receive them.

  • Call your card issuer (bank) if a new or reissued card does not arrive when expected.

  • Don't carry your identity document, birth certificate or passport in your wallet or purse unless it's absolutely necessary.

  • Never throw away credit card vouchers in a public rubbish container. When disposing of vouchers or old statements, be sure to destroy the areas where the account number is visible.

  • Do not write your credit or debit card account number on a cheque or use it for identification when paying by other means.

  • If your identity document or driver's license is missing, contact the appropriate agency immediately.

  • Never give any payment card, bank or confidential information to anyone by telephone, even if you made the call, unless you can positively verify that the call is legitimate and there is a true need for the information.

  • If you suspect that you've become victim to identity theft, you should call your financial institution immediately, which will place an alert on your file.

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