ID Theft Can Seriously Damage Your Credit Rating, Report CreditExpert
CreditExpert Explains the Effects Identity Theft Can Have on Your Credit Rating and Offers Insight Into What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
(firmenpresse) - NOTTINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwire) -- 03/19/12 -- Identity theft is thought to affect around 1.8 million Britons every year. The cost to the UK economy is estimated to be GBP 2.7 billion and the problem is growing. (1)Despite this, it still takes - on average - 14 months for a victim to discover their identity has been stolen. This is why it's vital to regularly check your credit rating, say CreditExpert, who offer (2) checks online.
ID fraud occurs when someone steals your identity in order to open bank accounts, apply for loans or credit cards. Improper use of these financial mechanisms can have massive implications on your credit rating. If someone racks up credit in your name and subsequently fails to pay anything off this will lead to the involved lenders adding this to your credit report. Your credit rating could suffer as a result. If this happens, you are then unlikely to get credit, or if you do you will be offered a poor interest rate which may in turn make the loan unaffordable(3).
Despite crackdowns by the police and the creation of specialist task forces, CreditExpert warns that criminals continue to look for new and ever more innovative ways of stealing personal data.
advises several precautions you can take to minimise the likelihood of ID theft. Firstly, never give out personal details over the phone, on internet sites you don't trust, or to an individual without fully verified credentials(4).
Secondly, destroy all financial information once you are finished with it. This includes old debit and credit cards, chequebook stubs, receipts, bank and credit card statements, information with your address on it and electoral information. Shredders are recommended for home use.
However, information sometimes slips through the cracks and leaves you open to identity theft and fraud. Although you should take the preventative measures above, CreditExpert also advises monitoring your personal credit report. It offers a free 30-day online trial of its credit monitoring service(5) and it will even send you text messages or emails if there is significant change to your data. This will help you stay vigilant and enables you to act on identity fraud and alert the police before it gets out of control.
About CreditExpert
CreditExpert is the online credit monitoring and identity fraud protection service from Experian, the credit reference agency. As the UK's most trusted credit monitoring service source, CreditExpert provides bespoke advice to all customers on matters such as identity theft, credit reports and credit history.
(1)
(2) 30-day trial, new customers only, monthly fee applies after free trial ends
(3)
(4)
(5) New customers only, monthly fee applies after free trial ends
Contacts:
Joanne Leahy
(0)1159410888
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Datum: 19.03.2012 - 15:31 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 126100
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NOTTINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM
Kategorie:
Investment Opinion
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