GUIDANCE FOR VICTIMS
Think you are a victim of Identity fraud?
If you do become, or suspect you may be a victim of identity fraud, don't panic but do act quickly as this can help limit the extent of the fraud.
REPORT LOST OR STOLEN DOCUMENTS such as passports, driving licences, credit cards and chequebooks, to the organisation that issued them.
CONTACT A CREDIT REFERENCE AGENCY If you have been unexpectedly turned down for credit or a loan, contact the Irish Credit Bureau and follow their suggested steps to resolve the situation and prevent it happening again (see useful contacts).
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL GARDA STATION Ensure you contact your local Garda Station to report details of the incident.
NOTIFY OTHER CREDITORS WITH WHOM YOU HAVE ACCOUNTS (bank, credit cards and phone and utility companies) even if they have not been affected, so they can monitor your accounts to ensure thieves do not access them.
KEEP A RECORD OF ALL COMMUNICATIONS Send all letters by registered mail and keep copies. If you think your case may lead to a lawsuit, track how much time you spend dealing with the problem.
REPORTING FINANCIAL FRAUD Where the incident involves the use of plastic cards, online banking, or cheques, the matter should be reported to the financial institution concerned. They will then be responsible for exploration and verification and where appropriate will report it to the police for subsequent investigation. Where the incident has not involved the use of plastic cards, online banking or cheques, you should report the matter to the relevant organisation in the first instance and, dependent on their advice, to your local police station.
PROTECT YOURSELF MOVING FORWARD:
This website is full of useful advice to protect you in the future. If you move house, tell your bank, card issuer and of course all other organisations that you deal with immediately, but don’t forget to ask Royal Mail to redirect any mail from your old address to your new one for at least a year.
If you use the internet make sure you have the latest security patches and up-to-date anti-virus software installed For more details click here to visit www.makeitsecure.org
You should also consider investing in a cross cut shredder and destroy all documents before recycling or binning them.