The first steps to prevent identity theft require you to adopt a suspicious attitude in relation to divulging your personal data. If you are asked to provide personal details, consider whether the request is strictly necessary in the circumstances. Never tell anyone your passwords for any financial transactions. This secrecy should extend to your close family members.

Keep personal documents in a safe place, preferably under lock and key. If you must keep a written note of your PIN number, don’t keep the note with your card; if you keep your ATM card in a wallet, don’t put the note in the wallet, or even in the same pocket as the wallet.

The next steps to prevent identity theft are alertness and caution during all financial transactions. When you pay for goods with your credit card, don’t allow the card to be taken out of your sight. When you visit the ATM to withdraw cash, check that the machine looks the same as usual, if anything looks remotely altered, go to another machine; a skimming device might have been attached by a thief. Look around to check if anyone seems to be standing a bit too close, in case they are trying to see your PIN number as you type it in.

Always shred or burn any old documents which bear even the tiniest amount of personal data, never throw them away whole. Don’t underestimate the importance of any document; a utility bill can be used as proof of residence by an identity fraudster.

The next step to prevent identity theft is to be wary when using your credit card. If you are paying for goods with your credit card, make sure you don’t allow the card to be taken out of your sight. The person dealing with the payment might electronically skim your card, or write down the card number and security number, that’s all a thief needs to make purchases with your card online.

Never give out personal information to anyone who calls you on the phone. Never mind if they sound 100% genuine, identity thieves know exactly how to approach their victims and can sound totally plausible.

If you receive an email asking you to click a special link to update your details, don’t comply; send it straight to the trash folder even if you believe you know the sender. Emails like this are “phishing” emails, any details you type in will be recorded by logging equipment for a thief to download.

Be careful with passwords. Never tell anyone else your passwords. Don’t use the same password for all purposes, have a separate one for everything. Don’t use obvious words as passwords; use a mixture of letters and numbers where possible. Don’t use your date of birth or consecutive numbers as a PIN number.

The first steps you need to take to prevent identity theft are easy to implement; it is simply a matter of cultivating good habits in relation to protecting your personal privacy. The next step is to learn more about protecting your personal privacy. Joining a fraud protection monitoring scheme should also be seriously considered.