Identity Theft: Don't Leave Yourself Exposed

Recent statistics show that identity theft is on the rise, with a 57% increase in the number of identity thefts in the last year. Individuals in their thirties and fifties saw the biggest increases.

According to the fraud prevention service Cifas, social media has become a "hunting ground" for fraudsters and identity thieves, and it's not hard to see why. While some information fraudsters use is gleaned from hacking, social media often provides a number of pieces of the puzzle - contact details, addresses, full names, dates of birth, places of birth or employers. This can either be from individuals' profiles, or on their or their friends' posts. That information can then be used to apply for credit cards, online payment accounts or take out mobile phone contracts. People wouldn't give burglars the keys to their homes, but when it comes to identity theft; it appears we are doing just that.

The risks of sharing too much personal information online may not just be to you. The information which is of use to identity thieves may well also be valuable to hackers and other criminals wanting to attack the companies for whom those individuals work. Cyber security measures can easily be unlocked if an employee has unwittingly given the hacker the keys. As my colleague David Prince set out earlier this year, individuals are often the weak link exploited in cyber espionage.

The first you may know about your identity having been stolen is when unusual activity appears on your bank or credit card...