When moving home, don’t lose your identity

Home sales reached an 18-month high in August 2015, according to Halifax, rising by 3 per cent to 106,480 – the highest monthly total since February 2014 when the ‘Help to Buy’ scheme was launched.

Whilst this rise in property moves is good news for the UK economy, Equifax, the online credit information provider, is urging home movers to take steps to protect their identity from theft and fraud.

“There’s no question that there’s a lot to think about when moving home”, explained Lisa Hardstaff, Equifax credit information expert. “But it really is worth thinking about some simple steps to make sure that what is already a very stressful time doesn’t become even more fraught.

“Doing a clear out of old paperwork is often a task undertaken when preparing to move home. But rather than just tipping everything into a black bag for an opportunistic fraudster to rifle through, it’s vital that financial documents – and any other paperwork that contains personal information – is shredded.

“And, of course, getting mail redirected is essential to ensure that important documents don’t go to the wrong address.”

Data released by the Royal Mail** earlier this year revealed that 15 per cent of home movers said they received over 20 items of mail addressed to a former resident during the first month in their new home. And half (52 per cent) of those said this included financial mail such as bank or credit card statements.

If people moving home don’t take out a Redirection Service or inform all their service providers of their change of address, their mail is likely to end up at their old address. And Equifax believes this means they won’t have any control over who might have access to potentially useful information to commit identity fraud. Just a few personal details could give fraudsters the keys to an individual’s identity, without their knowledge.

Hardstaff added: “We always urge consumers to treat their personal data as carefully as they would cash. Fraudsters need only a few pieces of information to begin fraudulent activity, so it’s crucial to be vigilant – and that includes keeping an eye on credit information for any changes or unauthorised account openings.”

Equifax’s top tips for home movers to avoid ID theft

• Shred financial and other documents that contain personal information
• If you are disposing of an old computer, or other electronic device that stores data make sure you remove the information from the hard drive
• Set up a redirect for mail for at least a year
• If regular statements don’t arrive at the new address at the normal time, alert the relevant company immediately
• Check statements carefully for any unauthorised transactions
• Don’t talk about the move on social media sites – unless you’re certain you know exactly who can look at your profile
• Apply for a copy of your credit report to spot any unauthorised activity – and consider a service that monitors for any changes to your credit information