With the hectic festive season fast approaching it is easy to forget some of the basics that protect us from becoming victims of crime and trauma.
Each week day from today until 18 December, Bay of Plenty Police will be delivering useful tips and advice for staying safe over the holidays in its 12 Crimes of Christmas campaign.
First up is fraud and identity theft. Christmas is a time when we love to splash out and treat our family and friends and when the credit card statement arrives in the New Year you don't want to find that a thief has used your identity to buy their own treats.
Identity theft is when someone uses your personal information without your knowledge to obtain credit or purchase goods or services and with advances in technology criminals will use a variety of methods.
By taking some simple steps you can reduce the chance of becoming a victim of identity fraud.
General tips
- Take time to shred all documentation containing personal information, especially bank and credit card statements and old bills.
- Keep documentation with your identification locked away; don’t leave in cars and only carry with you essential cards and identification.
- Make sure you have strong password access codes on computers that are changed regularly are not easily figured out.
- Never give out personal information over to anyone in over the phone, via the internet, or even face-to-face, unless you have initiated the contact and have verified that the person or organisation you are giving the information to is legitimate.
- Secure your letterbox so no-one can get access to your mail.
- Keep track of transactions and regularly check statements to make sure there are no anomalies or unauthorised transactions. If there are, contact your bank or credit card company immediately.
Using cheques
- Keep your cheques separate from anything containing your signature and never pre-sign cheques.
- Cross cheques with the words 'not transferable'.
- Regularly look through your chequebook to make sure that no cheques are missing.
Credit cards and Eftpos
- Keep cards safe and immediately tell your bank, or credit card company if they are stolen or missing. Remember many credit cards and debit cards now have ‘contactless’ technology such as PayWave or PayPass allowing transactions up to $80 at a time without a pin or a signature so don’t delay in reporting a card lost or stolen.
- Choose your PIN carefully, have different PINs for each card and try to memorise them. If you have to write them down make sure it is not in the same place as your cards.
- Never give your PIN to anyone and make sure no one can see you entering you pin at a bank machine or shop transaction.
- Destroy old cards and sign news ones as soon as you receive them.
- If you move house make sure you inform you bank and credit card company.
Internet shopping
- Invest in a security and virus software package for your computer and password protect documents containing personal information.
- If purchasing goods over the internet always make sure that you are making payments or providing personal details in a secure area. You will usually be alerted when entering a secure area or you will require a password. A small gold padlock symbol along the bottom of your screen or next to the address bar also tells you that you are in a secure area.
- Check out the company you are trading with. Make sure they have a physical address and contact details and keep a record of transactions with time, dates and order numbers.
- Don't use computers that are accessible to the public to make your transactions.
Email and postal scams
Spam is the generic term for 'junk mail' messages via phones or email that you haven't requested.
- Remember, If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. If you receive an email or letter suggesting you are a winner and to claim the prize you need to provide personal information or advanced fees, the chances are it is a scam.
- Some emails circulate pleas for help in accessing a large sum of money from which you will benefit. Others will pull on the heart strings with a medical emergency you can help with. These are scams.
- Some criminals will masquerade as trustworthy organisations, sometimes even using the logos of banks, financial institutions and companies to obtain sensitive information. This is known as phishing. Remember - if you are not expecting it, and it is asking for personal data or bank account details it is probably a scam.
- More information on common scams and how to protect yourself can be found at www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/scams
If you have information about criminal activity but don’t want to reveal your identity; you can pass it anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or at http://www.crimestoppers-nz.org
This advice forms part of the '12 Crime of Christmas' campaign by Bay of Plenty District Police who wish you a very merry and safe Christmas and New Year.
Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 027 234 8256.