Don’t be a victim of Online Fraud!

A few weeks ago, I found out that I’d been the victim of online fraud. Someone had accessed my details and used them to pay for a number of flights all around the globe. Obviously I was outraged. How dare they use my details? How did they even access my details?

 

Whilst I had always been loosely aware of online fraud, it wasn’t something that had been at the forefront of my mind, until now that is.

 

If you are affected by online fraud, here are four steps you should take to reduce the implications of the attack and protect yourself from further fraud in the future (source: Norton.com).

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1.       Close all affected accounts – As soon as you discover that you have been a victim of online identity theft or fraud, you need to close all of the accounts that have, or could potentially be, affected. Speed is of the essence here – the quicker you close the accounts, the less likely it is that the fraudster will have chance to access them.

 

2.       Set up fraud alerts on your accounts – To prevent the fraudulent activity having a lasting impact on your credit score, it is vital that you contact one of the three national consumer credit agencies and put a notice on your account to alert current and future lenders to the fraud. I contacted Experian who set up an alert with all three agencies to advise creditors to contact me directly before making any changes to my accounts of allowing anyone to open new accounts in my name.

 

3.       Check your credit score – When you have been a victim of online identity theft or fraud, it is really important that you check your credit score through a reputable company such as this one: http://www.creditexpert.co.uk/credit-score.aspx and keep an eye on it over the next few months.

 

4.       Be aware of signs of further theft – Once you’ve been a victim of identity theft or fraud, it’s important that you stay alert and look out for signs of further activity. For example, have you received any credit cards you don’t remember applying for? Have you been contacted from stores regarding accounts you haven’t opened? Have debt collectors visited regarding purchases you haven’t made? All of these can be signs of an incident of fraud so be aware!

 

Article Submitted By Community Writer.

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