Regular Access

Regularly accessing your credit report is a simple way to help protect your identity.

An online identity has become very important in this age of smartphones, the Internet and social networking, but some people can be too careless with it and offer seemingly harmless personal information that can end up with disastrous results.

UKCreditRatings.com offers you the chance to see what’s on your credit report for free!

Notice Something Strange?

Identity theft and online fraud are growing crimes which are distressing and financially costly to victims.

By checking your credit report on a regular basis you will be able to track any anomalies that you may notice. Applications made under your name but not actually by you are an obvious sign that someone is trying to take advantage of knowing your details.

New accounts, new credit cards and new store cards that suddenly appear on your credit report could also be further signs that a criminal is planning on stealing your hard-earned money. If you notice anything like this then you should report it immediately.

Making Sure Your Secure?

Make sure your passwords are hard to guess; don't use obvious choices such as names of family members or pets. Don't store your passwords on smartphones or tablets, because if these are stolen you could witness your accounts being emptied very swiftly.

Make sure not to open email attachments from addresses you don't know and don't fall victim to a phishing scam, when sent an email that looks like it could have come from your bank. Instead of clicking on the link, navigate to the bank homepage yourself on a separate browser and then report the email if necessary.

And Finally

There are safety checks in place to assist people in the prevention of fraudulent behaviour and theft.

But it doesn't do any harm to take extra precautions in financial matters to avoid that horrible hollow feeling when you realise you suddenly owe thousands of pounds because of unscrupulous thieves.

Credit reports are carefully checked against whoever is accessing them and there are agencies such as CIFAS and Auction Fraud to help you protect yourself, and protect your identity.