Tips to safeguard your financial identity

Beware of phishers and vishers

Be wary of emails or phone calls that appear to come from your bank – these may be phishing (email) or vishing (phone) scams to get your personal details.

Don't post your personal details online

Fraudsters may scour your profile for personal information which they can use to pass themselves off as you. Never put your personal financial information in an email.

Disable pop-ups

Clicking pop-up messages may allow others to download and install a program on your PC to spay on you and steal your identity.

Change your password often

Use a combination of letters, numbers and punctuation and change passwords frequently.

Safe online banking

When you visit secure sites, make sure you always log out. Avoid using public computers for internet banking. Most banks have PC's in their branches where you can access internet banking securely.

Is the website secure?

If you're asked to provide personal information online, check that the details in the address bar of the browser start with 'https' – the 's' stands for 'secure.'

Don't throw out personal information

Fraudsters may go through your rubbish. Destroy account statements and cards to stop them getting hold of your personal information.

Check your credit report

Make sure your name isn't being used to run up debts. Your credit report contains your personal details and shows credit applications and defaults. You can get a free copy of your credit report from My Credit File (Veda Advantage), Dun and Bradstreet or Tasmanian Collection Service.