In the age of electronic and computer technology it’s becoming increasingly important to take extra care when storing or providing your personal information.
Personal information on your computer
There are many unscrupulous individuals who will go to a lot of trouble to try to obtain and exploit your identity.
If a fraudster can find your name, address and other personal information they could use it to make personal gains, by making fake applications for credit.
Using personal information to make fake applications is part of a burgeoning industry. According to the Association of Chief Police Officers this costs the economy £13.9 billion a year.
If your computer is connected to the internet, you'll need to take steps to protect your personal information. You can find out more about doing that on our internet safety page.
If you want to dispose of an old computer you will need to remove personal data from it first. Find out more about this on our computer recycling page.
Paper documents with personal information
The utmost care should also be taken when dealing with papers that contain your details: whether it is a bank statement, utility bill or any other paper document.
Never bin such papers without first shredding or at least removing your personal information, so it doesn’t become somebody else’s property.
Please note that we can recycle paper, but not when it is shredded. Instead we ask you to put shredded paper in your grey refuse bins.
What to do if you're a victim of identity fraud
If you think you've been a victim of identity fraud, you should contact your local police.
Further information on identity fraud
For further information on identity fraud, visit the Information Commissioner's Office website or the Identify Theft website by following the links on the right of this page.