A well-known fraud prevention service has revealed that identity theft was the most widely reported type of fraud last year.
Cifas found that incidents of identity theft recorded by the National Fraud Database rose by 13 percent last year.
Out of the 421,000 reports to the database, around 250,000 involved a form of identity fraud.
Identity fraud happens when criminals attempt to take personal details like your name, address and phone number – often gathered through social media.
Fraudsters can also get sensitive information through data breaches and phishing message scams when people click a malicious link which can download malware onto their device.
Cifas also found that AI is also being increasingly used by fraudsters to increase the speed and amount of information they can gather from those online.
Which? magazine recommends checking your credit file if you think your personal details may have been stolen, as this can reveal if any new accounts have been fraudulently opened in your name.
You should also immediately inform your bank, credit card company and the local police if you think you’ve been the victim of identity fraud.
It can also help to report the crime to Action Fraud, the police’s fraud-reporting service.
If you get a phone call or email from someone claiming to be from your bank asking for confidential security details, it’s important to never reveal your password or login details.
Using strong, unique passwords for each of your online accounts can help deter scammers and keep your information secure.
Have you lost money to a data breach scam? Contact National Fraud Helpline. Call 0333 0033218 or fill out our Claim Form.