ARE YOU GIVING AWAY TOO MUCH INFORMATION?

The secrets in your sofa

You want to sell an old sofa on a community website and type in your email address and mobile number, but by doing so you are making your details public online, which scammers can use to build up a profile of you and contact you.

Action: Set up an email account solely for posts on community websites and only reveal your phone number over email when you are convinced the other person genuinely wants your three-seater.

DO THEY KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE?

If you appear on the open electoral register, anyone can look up your address through 192.com, then head over to Zoopla to see how much your house is worth. They can then take a virtual stroll past your house using Google Street View, which may help them find more clues for a fraud.

Action: Contact your Local Electoral Registration office to opt out of the open electoral register (or tick the box on the annual form) so your details won’t be visible.

SOCIAL MEDIA OVERSHARING

Dates of birth and children’s names are gold to cyber criminals, as people use them as pin codes for bank cards or as answers to security questions.

Action: Secure social media settings so only friends can see your posts. Don’t fill in biographical details.