Until 1955 Sweden employed a Personal Alcohol Rationing System. How would this scheme work with the latest ID Cards? Binge-Drinking solved by controlling alcohol consumption? ‘Sorry sir the Home Office says you’ve had too many today’. Obesity cured by rationing calories? ‘I’d ask if you wanted fries but I see there is a block on your account. Enjoy!’ Global Warming? ‘Before I activate your fuel pump I will need to see your iris. Have a nice day!’
There are rather too many vested interests in the Identity Theft business for me to feel certain of my ground…anti-virus software companies, illegal immigrants, East European fraudsters, private investigators on company and perhaps even government payrolls, commercial banks and credit card companies anxious to cover up the insecurity of their plastic money and hole-in-the-wall systems and so on. But it is a concern. And we should share our experiences.
Five years ago a thief walked into Jempson’s Winchelsea Road offices one Saturday morning, entered my office and took my passport, driving licence and credit cards from a desk drawer. The office wing was either kept locked or there were people around. It never occurred to me to lock my desk…or install a safe. I assumed a locked office door would suffice.
It seemed a strange thing to do On Spec so I reported it to the police and was surprised when a full forensic Swat Team…white overalls and all…turned up within two hours to dust for finger prints. Curiously it was my prints they seemed interested in…’To eliminate them, Sir.’ Hmm! A few years earlier I had a break-in at my Custom House office which left me puzzled as it looked more like a Watergate job than a casual burglary. Strange.
As for the rest here are some hints. Treat all e-mails with suspicion and trash as many as possible without opening them. Use the bulk mail filters in e-mail hosting options. If you are open to the public and selling online…as I am with my Academic Inn Books publishing business...this may not be an option. Be wary of clicking links on e-mails. The link address may not be the one on the screen. Type the address directly into the address bar instead.
Where public computers are concerned there is some disagreement. I prefer others to worry abut viruses…and pay for the Broadband account…so all my internet connections go through library computers or internet cafes…like using a local call box instead of a home phone. But the experts tell us not to use public computers to access personal information though I am not sure why. I do almost all my banking transactions online from public computers so this is worrying. Do not put all your eggs in one basket and keep credit limits and working bank balances to a minimum.
I move money out of my online PayPal account…and from my Barclays business account to my Nationwide cash account at the earliest opportunity. The rationale is that PayPal and Barclays are open to the world but Nationwide is not. I can look at my statement online but cannot carry out transactions…which mean that nobody else can either. And check your monthly statements to make sure you have authorised everything. I know three people in my limited local acquaintance who have had large sums of money fraudulently removed from their accounts.
The two other concerns the experts have are phone calls and waste bins. Scams with both seem to have reached epidemic proportions in the United States…which means they will be on this side of the pond shortly. Use a criss-cross shredder to dispose of personal documents. You will end up with confetti rather than strips. And never throw away bank statements, phone bills or unsolicited junk mail into a bin or a recycling bin. Seems obvious. But…
The phone numbers of everyone I want to talk to are programmed into my mobile phone so their name is displayed when they ring from their normal number. I have become abrupt with any other call and demand to know who, what and why before agreeing to enter into conversation. I believe my instincts are sound.
Standard advice in America nowadays goes like this. If you take a call from an organisation you deal with make sure you are confident they are who they say they are. If you have any doubts ring them back on their company’s listed number. Never give your credit card details or any other personal information over the phone unless the call was initiated by you.
As governments push ahead with their Identity Card Schemes they seem to be ignoring the increasing concern of their citizens about identity and personal data. I consider myself fortunate. Replacing passports and credit cards is a pain. But I have yet to lose any money…although I believe it is just a matter of time before I do. However I tell an amusing anecdote about the time I needed to replace my passport following the Winchelsea Road break-in. Here it is.
When applying for a passport or a driving licence you must send off your original Birth Certificate. Mine went walkabout many years ago so in 2001 I wrote to the Registrar of Births and Deaths in Greenwich for a replacement. In 1946 my arrival was registered in the Borough of Eltham. But Woolwich took them over…and then Greenwich took Woolwich over.
To my surprise a reply came back two days later. ‘Dear Mr Shepherd. Thank you for your application for a Birth Certificate. We regret that the relevant file was recently removed from our Greenwich Office illegally. As a result we are unable to comply with your request.’ The only thing to do was laugh. Fortunately Greenwich had back-up. Copies are held in Southport…hopefully securely…but I wouldn’t bank on it.
