With the credit crunch currently in full swing and not looking to improve anytime time soon, there is one emerging industry that seems to be continually in growth mode and that is the Identity fraud industry. If you haven’t quite realised it yet this is a serious concern around the world.

So how do you combat the risks of having your identity stolen? This is not just people copying your clothes and hairstyle, they want a quick and easy way to profit from your financial and business data, your NHS number, your Passport details, your bank account and savings information, even your pension plan.

Are you aware for example how easily somebody could obtain a copy of your birth certificate or even a copy of you bank account details? Unfortunately the answer is far too easy.

Applying a little common sense can go a long way with a little change in your thought processes. For example the next time you receive one of those annoying “you’ve been pre approved” credit card offers, before you throw it straight in the bin ask yourself why you are happy to give the chance to a complete stranger to obtain your (all but your signature) completed form. That’s surely asking for trouble.

You don’t care about that, you bank online, BIG DEAL you’re just as much at risk as someone who throws all the junk mail post in the bin if you are not protective of your online presence. For example do you use the same password for all your banking? Well yes, how many of us can remember all the passwords needed without breaking the terms and conditions of paragraph 8 subsection 5 which states “do not write down your password”.

Is your antivirus updated regularly, do you always download the updates as they come in, will LATER be soon enough, or will it be too late? When you upgrade your computer systems, a new laptop for Xmas a bargain in the sales or maybe an online auction purchase, how do you dispose of your old system, in particular your hard drive?

It is much easier than you think for a computer technician to recover your details from your hard drive, even when you think you have deleted them. Or for a data recovery expert to recover the deleted partition when you formatted or wiped them off with free software; after all a data recovery company can recover your information even if it’s a few months out of date.

Did you know you can have a hard drive which you no longer require either shredded or securely wiped so that your details are no longer recoverable?? The drive can be physically shredded into little pieces even the top data recovery companies or jigsaw enthusiasts could not reassemble your data then, like wise the drive can be secure wiped and just the motor and heads used for parts by hard drive recycling companies.

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