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New and relatively small data breaches are now receiving fines by the ICO in multiples of £70,000. We look at the largest breaches that were never fined.
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Why we don't agree with Ken Clarke's plea to companies to employ ex-offenders
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Police authorities across the World have worked together to shut down websites selling stolen credit card information, preventing £0.5bn of fraud
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Following on from SOCA's success in shutting down over 30 rogue websites, SOCA suffers another major DDoS attack
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A relatively minor data breach has resulted in a £70,000 fine for an NHS authority, giving a very clear message to other NHS trusts and authorities
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The FSA guidelines say that you should always be given the benefit of the doubt when reporting fraudulent transactions, but that's not always the case
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Won a telly? But didn't even enter the competition? It's yet another prize draw scam being used by identity thieves
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Identity fraud up 40% in first quarter of 2011 and account takeover frauds up 86% says CIFAS, the UK Fraud Prevention Service
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The ICO buys loads of gear from eBay which results in new guidance from the ICO on how to remove sensitive data from PCs and other devices
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The HomePay system from Secure Trans will be used to help prevent card not present fraud on purchases made from home or on mobile platforms
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See our top tips to prevent identity theft - taken from our industry acclaimed handbook - Identity Theft Prevention and Victim Assistance - available on Kindle
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Orange reveals that if you have a certain type of Android phone, you'll be able to pay for your Big Mac with it
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600,000 Macs have been infected by the Flashback Trojan botnet which steals personal information and passwords
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Caught on camera by the victim, but even with irrefutable evidence, the police were reluctant to investigate. But rare as it is, we welcome a prosecution.
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We look at the government's plan to monitor emails, web activity, texts and phone calls, and whether this will extend to credit reports
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A break in at a card processor has resulted in sufficient personal details being obtained to enable fraudsters to clone MasterCards
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According to a study from Javelin, users of LinkedIn are at more than twice the risk of falling victim to ID crime
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Urgent investigations are under way following claim by mobile phone security company that personal data can be extracted easily from contactless cards
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An email to 8,000 students reveals the email addresses of all other recipients.
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Sunday Times sting captures rogue employee of Indian call centre offering credit card details of Brits for sale
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..about where criminals are attacking from, but do car about how they can be stopped, according to Foreign Office mandarin
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UK post scanning service provides the ability to lodge a service address at Companies House
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Find out what your answers are used for, and whether you can skip personal questions to maintain your privacy
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Telephone banking fraud and counterfeit cheque losses are up, but all other types of fraud are significantly down
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Around half of all identity fraud is committed by someone close to you – a family member or a workmate. Trust no one.
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Why has Google changed its privacy policy, and what does it mean to the average internet user?
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FSA orders review of past business practices, with customers set to receive compensation for mis-selling
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Check your credit report and you might find address links that you don't immediately recognise - can they harm you?
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A newspaper investigation has found British consumers bank and credit card details for sale on Russian websites for as little as £19
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The number of people falling victim to identity theft in the UK soared in 2011, official figures reveal
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Land Registry have taken steps to better protect homeowners against fraud by making it free to place a restriction against their property
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How to stop your personal details from being bandied about all over the internet and elsewhere. Improve your privacy and protect your family security
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Read our travel tips on how to reduce the risk of falling victim to burglary or identity theft while away on holiday
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But it is possible to keep the privacy of a director's family home address private by using an inexpensive service address
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Residents of SW12 are under attack again by fraudsters using mail interception. Why is Balham such an identity theft hotspot?
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We explain why you really should pay attention to those random posters in your local Starbucks
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Think you're original with London2012 or Liverpool1? Think again. We show you how to construct a truly unique password
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Keeping copies of your passport, driving licence and credit cards on your smart phone or iPad is a good idea but you need to take precautions
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Identity thieves are expected to target taxpayers about to file their annual tax returns online
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Residents of the NW11 postcode are currently at risk of identity fraud. Check your own postcode now.
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Crimestoppers asks for anonymous tip-offs to help the police - but will the police follow through?
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Sydney rail passengers could be in for a shock, after ‘lost property’ memory sticks were sold to a private company – what else are companies passing on
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At least 150,000 identities were put at risk in November, and that's an incredible increase on the number of data breaches reported last year
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Living in shared accommodation puts students at an increased risk of falling victim to identity thieves and at Christmas the problem gets worse
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Adding a CIFAS Protective Registration to your credit report increases from £14.40 to £20 per annum on 1 January
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Criminals increasingly are attempting to exploit innocent consumers with cloned cars – find how to protect yourself
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Even with rigourous passport checking, stolen blank passports and easily cloned biometric security could result in the theft of your identity
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The seventh annual National Identity Fraud Prevention Week may have passed you by, as few worry about identiity fraud until it actually happens
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2.4m of us keep our PIN written down alongside our credit card. Don't do it. Tips for better PINs.
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Almost 90,000 people felt at risk of falling victim to identity theft in 2010. Find out how to avoid becoming part of the statistic.
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Described by Which magazine as one of the worst financial products today, ID theft insurance continues to cause controversy – this time through aggressive selling techniques.
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And worse still, published for every Tom, Dick and Harry to see on the Internet, in a move to embarrass card companies into improving security.
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A major security breach has seen the personal details of thousands of broadband customers published on the internet, including card details.
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Two sets of fraudsters have been jailed for running major identity scams, with hundreds of innocent consumers account details prevented from being cloned.
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The millions of people who face uncertainty over whether they have paid to much or too little tax in recent years are now being targeted by fraudsters.
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The latest version of the biometric passport is launched next month, aimed at reducing cases of identity fraud and other serious crimes. An updated design or more secure, or both?
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Facebook is taking yet another hammering over its latest feature that allows people to ‘geo-tag’ their location from Smartphones. Yes, Big Brother is watching you.
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The latest figures released by CIFAS – the UK’s fraud prevention service – showed that number of cases of identity fraud increased 14% in the first 6 months of this year compared to the same period in 2009.
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A new primetime ITV drama is set to raise public awareness of identity theft and the serious implications it can have. Are you as protected as you can be against fraudsters?
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American investigators unearth millions of stolen Facebook profiles for sale on criminal websites, which could be used to steal personal details and even identities
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Fears that a recovery in the housing market could see fraudsters switch their attention back to mortgages has prompted the establishment of a specialist group tasked with combating them. Will it work though?
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The Government has already spent over £1.3 million promoting its controversial ID Card scheme, despite fears that the technology may not be secure, and doubts about the future of the scheme.
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A new report from CIFAS reveals whether you’re more likely to be targeted by fraudsters based on your age, gender, and what credit accounts you hold.
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A potential security flaw in Chip & PIN technology that could be exploited by criminals has been described as ‘theoretical’ by card issuers keen to play down the risk.
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Organisations that 'seriously breach' the Data Protection Act face fines of up to £500,000 as the Information Commissioner gets tough on sloppy data losses.
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The new Facebook 'privacy' settings could mean that your personal details are exposed to people randomly searching Google. Have you protected yourself?
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The hectic festive season will see thousands of people lost their mobile phones, but could an identity thief make it even more of a painful experience?
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UK call centres are making it easier for fraudsters to obtain credit card details – including security numbers, by failing to follow guidelines on how call recordings should be stored
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Now we all use ‘security codes’ on our credit cards, fraudsters have now imported from the US a new way of getting round the problem.
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We’ve seen a huge surge in the number of postcodes that are currently being hit by identity fraudsters, particularly in the Greater London area.
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Instances of identity fraudsters taking over mobile phone accounts are increasing, with poor password security not helping in the fight. Is your own password up to scratch?
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Desire for gadgets such the iPhone is increasing despite the recession, but could they make you a prime target for identity thieves?
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Official figures from the first 6 months of 2009 show that cases of identity theft – both successful and foiled – continued to soar. Are you protected?
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In the latest breach of consumer personal data, ParcelForce accidently display customer signatures on its website. As ID theft continues to rise, what can you do to stay safe?
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The UK is in danger of being left behind when it comes to protecting the personal data of its individuals and reacting when breaches do happen.
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A new credit card that incorporates a keypad and digital display within the card has been developed and is now in final testing. Could it stop card fraud in its tracks?
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Despite the Government being criticised last month by the European Commission for failing to protect our data, the losses just keep on coming. Has your data been compromised?
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The Government is in trouble after allowing companies to collect and use info on consumers’ internet browsing habits, as well as failing to safeguard against more data losses.
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A new Government proposal could see your activity on social networking sites recorded. Given their track record of keeping personal data safe, is this really a good idea?
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An unlawful database of construction workers’ personal details – that has been used by some of the UK’s biggest firms – has been busted. But what are employers allowed to see?
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The ever increasing role that mobile phones play in our lives means that they now contain more personal information about us than ever before - a potential goldmine for an identity fraudster. Find out how to stay protected.
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Gmail users, celebrity Twitter accounts and Jack Straw all fell victim to hackers in February. As criminals get more aggressive in their activity, are you protected against them?
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The battle against identity theft could leave you red-faced unless you make sure you remember to tell your bank that you’re jetting off.
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October was a very, very bad month for data breaches. Check our list to see if anyone has been reckless with your personal details.
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A website allegedly used by criminals to sell bank and credit card details has been shut down - but was it actually run by the police? You really couldn’t make this up.
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The number of us signing up to ‘Verified by Visa’ and ‘Secure MasterCard’ has rocketed as card issuers become more proactive against online fraud. Have you signed up yet?
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Prisoners, prison officers, seasonal workers –all have had their personal details ‘lost’ over the last month. It’s now down to us, as individuals, to protect ourselves.
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A recent spate of Chip & PIN machines being rigged by criminals has highlighted a new area of risk.
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11 people are charged with stealing millions of credit card details from TK Maxx, but experts warn that retailers in the UK are vulnerable to futher attacks.
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A disc containing insurance details of 370,000 HSBC customers has gone missing – just the latest in a long line of similar mishaps.
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Social networking websites Myspace and Facebook have recently been highlighted as target sites for identity thieves. But there are far more risky sites you could visit.
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