Find out how to protect yourself against identity theft with PrivacyDefence

THE CLEVER APP WILL HELP PROTECT YOU FROM ONLINE SCAMMERS

YOU may think that having your identity stolen is something that will never happen to you but how can you be sure?

With fraud and cyber crime accounting for nearly one in two crimes committed in the UK, identity theft is on the rise. And with technology getting smarter, so are the criminals.

Whether it’s your address and contact details, your banking information or even your passport or driving licence details, if these get into the wrong hands, the consequences could be dire. When your possessions are stolen they can be replaced but when your identity is stolen, things get a whole lot more complicated.

Helping to keep your data safe, PrivacyDefence is a smart new app that will alert you when your data is breached and help you to take control of your personal information.

To find out how it works and how it will protect you against identity theft, we spoke to Managing Director Mike Roberts.

He said: “If you’ve never been hacked, you wouldn’t have to ask too many people you know to find someone who says it’s happened to them, that’s how widespread it is. There’s definitely a need for it, there’s no question at all.”

WHY DOES MY DATA NEED PROTECTING?

Whether it’s working from home, socialising with friends or home schooling, the pandemic has meant many of our everyday activities are now increasingly being conducted online - this gives hackers more opportunities to steal your data.

In a poll conducted by PrivacyDefence, 52% of people asked had previously been a victim of online fraud. Mike told us why he thinks more people should think about protecting their personal information.

He said: “It certainly has got worse during the Covid experience, particularly through lockdown.

“There’s an increasing change of behaviour with people shopping more online. There’s more traffic conducted online and more people not aware of security procedures. This crime isn’t going to go away, unfortunately criminals are extremely successful.”

Mike has himself been a victim of identity theft on more than one occasion. In one instance he had a business set up in his name and only found out when he received a call from the Metropolitan Police. He told us: “It harmed my credit score for a while, it took a while to go. Anyone who is a victim of identity fraud, it will take a while to get full restoration.”

HOW DOES THE APP WORK?

Signing up to the app is easy. You start by entering up to 47 pieces of personal information that you’d like scanned and you don’t need to worry - your data is fully encrypted and the mobile app uses biometric login as an option.

The PrivacyDefence app uses that data and continuously sweeps the web, deep web and dark web to make sure your data isn’t being traded.

It’s not only going to monitor your email address, but your other items of personally identifiable data such as login credentials, credit/ debit/store cards, driver’s licence, passport number, mother’s maiden name and more.

And with social media now a big part of our everyday lives, it’s no surprise to learn that that is also a target for hackers - PrivacyDefence can also monitor your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn content feeds for reputation and privacy risks. Whenever your data is detected, you will receive an instant notification on your mobile phone so you are able to act straight away and prevent your data from being used fraudulently.

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR DATA IS BREACHED

Mike has found that many of its new members often get alerts when they first sign up as their data has already been hacked unknowingly.

But what happens when you have a data breach? Would you know what to do?

In some situations it might just be a case of changing your password or log in details but other cases can be a lot more complicated. For those who need advice on what to do next, PrivacyDefence also offers a 24/7 support service offering restoration advice.

WHO IS PRIVACYDEFENCE FOR?

Mike said: “With the massive increase in online traffic that we all undertake, if you’ve got a mobile phone and a purse or wallet with a card in it, you need PrivacyDefence.

For just £10 per month, the app is an affordable way of keeping your details secure. Mike added: “It’s not wildly expensive. It’s an affordable security measure required by everybody.”

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?

If you want to find out more about how you can protect your identity online, PrivacyDefence is holding free online events to help you learn about the real threat of identity theft, how you can be affected, but more importantly share with you some tips on managing and controlling your privacy to help keep you and your family safe.

The events take place on the PrivacyDefence Facebook page on the following dates:

Wednesday August 19 - 3pm Wednesday August 26 - 8.30pm