Products

Explore Our Customised Security Awareness Training and Human Risk Management Solutions - Equip your team with the essential skills to defend against modern cyber threats. Our platform offers everything from phishing simulations to comprehensive policy management, empowering your workforce to enhance security and ensure compliance effectively.

Security Awareness Automation

Schedule Your Annual Awareness Campaign In A Few Clicks

Phishing Simulation

Stop Phishing Attacks In Their Tracks With Award-Winning Phishing Software

eLearning Content

Cyber Security eLearning to Explore our Award-Winning eLearning Library, Tailored for Every Department

Compliance Management

Simplify Policy, Privacy, and Incident Management for Total Compliance

Industries

Explore the versatility of our solutions across diverse industries. From the dynamic tech sector to healthcare, delve into how our solutions are making waves across multiple sectors. 


Financial Services

Creating A First Line Of Defence For Financial Service Organisations

Enterprises

A Security Awareness Training Solution For Large Enterprises

Education Sector

Engaging Security Awareness Training For The Education Sector

Tech Industry

Transforming Security Awareness Training In The Tech Industry

Governments

A Go-To Security Awareness Solution For Governments

Remote Workers

Embed A Culture Of Security Awareness - Even At Home

Healthcare Workers

See Our Tailored Security Awareness For Healthcare Workers

NIS2 Compliance

Support Your Nis2 Compliance Requirements With Cyber Security Awareness Initiatives

Resources

From posters and policies to ultimate guides and case studies, our free awareness assets can be used to help improve cyber security awareness within your organisation.

Resources Overview
Cyber Security Awareness For Dummies

An Indispensable Resource For Creating A Culture Of Cyber Awareness

Ultimate Guide To Phishing

Educate Employees About How To Detect And Prevent Phishing Attacks

Anti Phishing Policy

Create A Security-Conscious Culture And Promote Awareness Of Cyber Security Threats

A-Z Cyber Security Terminology

A Glossary Of Must-Know Cyber Security Terms

Free Stuff

Download Our Free Awareness Assets To Improve Cyber Security Awareness In Your Organisation

Dummies Guide To Cyber Security Elearning

The Ultimate Guide To Implementing Effective Cyber Security Elearning

Free Awareness Posters

Download These Complimentary Posters To Enhance Employee Vigilance

Case Studies

Hear How We’re Helping Our Customers Drive Positive Behaviour In Their Organisations

Cyber Security Behavioural Maturity Model

Audit Your Awareness Training And Benchmark Your Organisation Against Best Practice

About

With 18+ years of experience in the Cyber Security and Compliance market, MetaCompliance provides an innovative solution for staff information security awareness and incident management automation. The MetaCompliance platform was created to meet customer needs for a single, comprehensive solution to manage the people risks surrounding Cyber Security, Data Protection and Compliance.

Why Choose Us

Learn Why Metacompliance Is The Trusted Partner For Security Awareness Training

Careers

Join Us and Make Cybersecurity Personal

Leadership Team

Meet the MetaCompliance Leadership Team

Employee Engagement Specialists

We Make It Easier To Engage Employees And Create a Culture of Cyber Awareness

MetaBlog

Stay informed about cyber awareness training topics and mitigate risk in your organisation.

8 Essential Ways to Prevent Identity Theft

Top 8 Tips to Prevent Identity Theft | MetaCompliance

about the author

Share this post

Identity theft has taken on a whole new life in the digital age and our data has become a valuable commodity that can be monetised and used to commit fraudulent activities.

Data breaches are happening on an almost daily basis and Identity theft is the main driver behind all attacks. It’s become a big business that’s costing the global economy an estimated £3.2 trillion a year and according to recent research from Cifas, the number of identity theft victims has risen by 57% in the last year alone.

If criminals can get hold of your name, address, phone number or banking details, they can then use this information to steal your identity and commit fraud. Typically, this information will be used to open accounts, apply for loans, or they may even try to obtain a driving licence or passport using this stolen data.

Criminals may be able to gather a large amount of this information from bank statements or paper documents, but increasingly the easiest way for them to gain access to this priceless data is by going online.

It’s unbelievable how much information the criminals can extract from social media platforms or how easy we make it to break into our accounts by choosing passwords that could be hacked within minutes.

8 Tips To Prevent Identity Theft

Thankfully there are a number of steps you can take to keep your data safe and prevent identity theft.

1. Use strong passwords

Creating a strong password is the first line of defence in preventing identity theft. One of the easiest ways for criminals to hack into your accounts and steal personal and financial information is to guess passwords. If they can successfully crack the password for just one of your accounts, there’s a good chance they can hack multiple accounts using the same details.

A strong password should be between 8-15 characters long, a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters and include numbers or symbols. For extra security, a passphrase can be created which is a password composed of a sentence or combination of words. The first letter of each word will form the basis of the password and letters can be substituted with numbers and symbols to make it more difficult to crack.

2. Check social media privacy settings

Social Media is great for catching up with friends however by oversharing online, you can put yourself at great risk of identity theft or even a home burglary. Criminals can collect a huge amount of data about you from your social media profiles.

Whether you’re on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, check the site’s privacy policy and use security and privacy settings to control who can see your personal information. Be careful who you accept friend requests from and try not to share too much information that could reveal where you live, when you’re away on a holiday or any other personal data that could compromise your identity.

3. Avoid phishing emails

Phishing continues to be one of the most popular ways for criminals to steal personal information and commit identity fraud.

Phishing emails are carefully designed to trick you into entering confidential information such as an account number, password or date of birth by clicking on a link. The email may also include an attachment that once opened will directly infect your computer with malware.

Despite appearing legitimate, there are often a number of red flags that may point to a phishing email. These include: a mismatched URL, poor spelling and grammar, requests for sensitive information, unexpected correspondence and the use of threatening or urgent language.

4. Avoid public Wi-Fi

There’s no doubt that using public Wi-Fi is a quick, convenient, and free way to go online, however, it opens us up to a range of security risks that can ultimately lead to identity theft. Public Wi-Fi requires no authentication to establish a network connection, allowing criminals direct access to any unsecured devices on the same open network. Unsecured Wi-Fi networks may also be used to spread malware allowing criminals unrestricted access to everything on your device. This information can, in turn, be used to commit identity fraud, or the information can be sold on to criminal third parties.

5. Check bank statements regularly

It’s worth keeping a close eye on bank statements to make sure there are no unusual transactions on your account. To avoid detection, criminals will often make few initial debits for smaller amounts, then make a much larger debit which could ultimately clean out your bank account. If you notice any suspicious activity on your account, you should report this to your bank or financial services provider immediately.

6. Always use secure websites

The easiest way to check if the site you are on is secure is to check the URL. At the start of all web addresses, you will see either a ‘http’ or a ‘https’. Always use a site that starts with https as the ‘s’ stands for secure and ensures that all communication between your browser and the website you are visiting is encrypted. This system is not totally foolproof but it will add an extra layer of security and reduce the chance of your data falling into the wrong hands.

7. Update security software

The installation of anti-virus software will help detect threats on your computer and block unauthorised users from gaining access. It’s also important to ensure that your software is regularly updated to prevent cybercriminals from gaining access to your computer through vulnerabilities in older and outdated systems. Regular software updates will ensure that you have the most up to date versions released by the manufacturer, thereby reducing your chance of attack.

8. Shred sensitive documents

Your personal information is what identity thieves are after and gaining access to the paper copies of your bank statements, payslips or any other mail that may contain personally identifiable information is one of the easiest ways for them to steal this data. Always shred and properly dispose of any sensitive information to ensure it can’t be used to identify you and commit fraud.

Discover Our eLearning Cyber Security Awareness Library

Dive into our extensive eLearning library focused on cyber security awareness and preventing identity theft. At MetaCompliance, we pride ourselves on creating the best cyber security awareness training available on the market, designed to equip employees and organisations with the knowledge needed to stay safe online.

Other Articles on Cyber Security Awareness Training You Might Find Interesting