Check if you have been scammed

There are several things that might give you a clue that someone has stolen your identity, stolen money from an account of yours, or is otherwise using your personal details for their own gain. Here are the essentials to look out for:

• You check your credit report and find entries that you cannot explain

• You notice unusual transactions on your bank or credit card statement

• You apply to claim benefits but are told you are already claiming

• You receive bills or invoices for things you have not knowingly paid for

• You are refused forms of credit even though you have a good credit history

• Post you are expecting never arrives

If any of these things happen to you, you can be reasonably suspicious that you are at risk of or may already be a victim of fraud.

However you should not panic. It may be that a transaction on your statement can be traced back to a harmless source; for example you might see a payment of £50 to your local supermarket when you know you only spent £20 - until you remember you asked for £30 cashback that day. It may also be that a mistake has been made by your bank which can easily be rectified.

What to do about it

• Tell your bank first. They can step up security on your account to stop other unauthorised transactions and should refund any money that has been taken; they are obliged to do this by the Payment Service Regulations 2009 and The Lending Code.

• Pay by credit card to get protection through Section 75, which could get you a refund if you fall for a scam. You can find a credit card and check your eligibility here.

• Check your credit report. If anything looks suspicious get it rectified before it causes issues. Do this by speaking to the company directly or submitting a query via the credit reference agency.

• Register with Cifas. This will put a flag against your name on the National Fraud Database so companies will carry out extra checks before they approve applications for financial products in your name. Cifas membership costs £20.

• Speak to Action Fraud The service is the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and internet crime, run by the City of London Police and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. You can call them on on 0300 123 2040 or submit an enquiry on their website.

Stop it happening again

There are a number of precautions you can take to protect yourself and your bank details:

Get insured

Although many insurance policies do not pay out if you fall for fraud, you could get cover for:

• Your mobile phone: If your phone is stolen, you can claim for the cost of calls, texts or data used by a fraudster with many mobile phone insurance policies.

• Your business: Some commercial insurance policies cover your business against any losses caused by crime, including fraud.

Keep your personal information personal

• Cancel any lost or stolen credit cards as soon as they go missing; this will help to minimise any collateral damage. It can be useful to keep a list of your different accounts and the relevant contact numbers together in a safe place just in case of emergency.

• Keep your passwords and pin numbers secret. Memorise them, and never write them down in your wallet or diary (or any other equally obvious place). It is strongly advisable to use different passwords for different accounts and to avoid using personal information like dates of birth or names.

• Check your statements. Keep a close eye out for unauthorised transactions and notify your bank immediately if you notice anything 'dodgy'.

Play it safe online

Your bank or any other financial institution will never contact you by email asking you for your personal details. If you receive an email of this nature delete it straight away and never click on any links enclosed. These particular scams are known as phishing and exist with the aim of transferring you to a look a like site and capturing your personal details.

Ensure your computer (and any computer you enter your details into) has an up to date firewall and anti-virus software installed, this will help prevent hackers gaining access to your personal information while you are online.

Protect your mail

You should never throw away any old bills, bank statements or personal correspondence without shredding them first. It is best to use a 'cross-cut' rather than a 'strip' shredder as these do a much better job of destroying your information.

Protect your debit card

When taking cash out from an ATM you should always:

• Look for signs of tampering - does there appear to be something stuck on the front, is it different to how usual cash machines look?

• Use your other hand to shield what you're doing from view as you type your PIN number into a cash machine