SANDRA OSBORNE ooo ENTER

Constituency : South Ayrshire oooooooooooooooooo Address: House of Commons, London. SW1A 0AA 000 London Office - Tel: 02092193000.oooooooooooooooi Constituency Office: 139 Main St, Ayr. KA8 8BX ooooo Tel: 01292 262906. Fax: 01292 885661 oooooooooooo Email - osbornes@parliament.uk OOOOOOOOOooooo Website - www.epolitix.com/Sandra-Osborne

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October, 2007
NATIONAL IDENTITY FRAUD PREVENTION

Sandra Osborne MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock has urged constituents not to hand their identity over on a plate to fraudsters.

This week aims to raise awareness of the dangers of identity fraud and inform the public and businesses on the steps they should be taking to protect themselves from identity fraud.

This awareness drive has been put in place by an expert group of public and private sector partners, and is being supported by Sandra Osborne, the Identity and Passport Service, CIFAS - The UK's Fraud Protection Service, Fellowes, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Equifax, Call Credit, Royal Mail, APACS, the BBA, DVLA and HM Revenue and Customs.

Independent bin raiding and Populus polling research commissioned for the week has revealed that 79% of households regularly place sensative materials in their waste and recycling bins, despite the fact that 80% of Britain's fear havving their identity stolen.

The Member of Parliament for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock has welcomed the start of the year's National Identity Fraud Prevention Campaign, commenting: "I firmly support the work of all the partners who have come together to raise awareness of the very real problem of identity fraud both in Scotland and right across the UK.

"I join with the others in encouraging individuals and businesses to stop taking chances with their identity, and to start getting identity wise. You wouldn't leave your car or house unlocked. In the same way, we all have a responsibility to protect our personal details."

STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY

1. Keep your personal and confidential documents secure.
2. Always shred, using a cross cut shredder, before disposing of documentation-bank and credit card statements, utility bills, receipts, direct mail containing any personal information, mortgage applications etc.
3. Regularly check your bank and credit card accounts for unusual transactions.
4. Regularly obtain a copy of your credit report from credit reference agencies, Callcredit, Equifax or Experian, and monitor it for discrepancies.
5. When you move home, redirect your mail from your old address to your new address for at least a year. You can now apply online 24/7, visit: ooooooooooooo www.royalmail.com/redirection for more information.
6. Going away? If you are planning to be away from home, you'll want to make sure you don't leave any obvious clues, like a pile of mail on your doormat, contact Royal Mail about their 'Keepsafe' service which will hold your mail for up to two months, and deliver it on your return. For more information visit: ooooooooooooo www.royalmail.com
7. Regularly check your bank and credit card accounts for unusual transactions.
8. Never give out and personal information to unidentified individuals or organisations who contact you by phone, email or face to face.
9. Visit www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/ for information on different types of fraud.
10. Never respond to e-mails asking for personal or financial information. Be especially careful when sending personal information over the internet.
11. If you recieve an email that warns, with little of no notice, that an account will be shut down unless you reconfirm billing or security information, you should not reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the institution cited in the email using a telephone number or web site address you know to be genuine.
12. Use up-to-date anti-virus software and a personal firewall and, if your computer uses the Microsoft Windows operating system, keep it updated from the Microsoft website. Be extra careful if using Internet cafes or any PC which is not your own and over which you have no control. If in doubt, a good place to get help and guidance on how to stay safe online is your banks website. Check regularly for specific information and guidance on protecting your PC and yourself online.
13. Avoid emailing personal and financial information. Before submitting financial details through a website, look for the 'lock' icon on the browser's status bar. It signals that personal information is secure during transmission.
14. Never give personal information to people calling from companies you have not dealt with before. Always check the identity of these people by calling then back. Obtain their office number from directory enquiries and then confirm their position with the switchboard before speaking to them.
15. If you have been a victim of identity fraud involving the use of plastic cards, online banking or cheques, the matter should be reported direct to the financial institution concerned. They will then be responsible for further investigation and, where appropriate, onward reporting to the Police. Other incidents should be reported to the relevant organisation and, depending on their advice, to your local police station.

For further information contact Rosie Luff at the All Party Group on Identity Fraud on ooooooooooo 020 7395 7043 or secretarial@idfraud.org.uk
For further information please contact me on 01292 26906 or on my pager at 07659 590854

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