TIPS TO AVOID BEING DEFRAUDED

James Walker, CEO of Rightly, a company helping people manage and control their data, gives his top tips on how to stay scam savvy:

Use multiple email addresses. Create a second email account that you use when shopping 2 online and registering for online services.

Avoid the ‘third parties’ box. Make sure you avoid ticking the box about sharing your data 3 when signing up to a website.

Use online data-protection services.

Use services that help take back control of your data, such as Rightly Protect, which can make multiple data-deletion requests to companies. Misspell your name on suspicious sites.

This makes it harder for scammers to steal your identity and future scam emails that you receive are highlighted by the wrong spelling. Regularly check if you’ve been hacked.

Make a habit of checking if any of your information has been breached, for example 6 on websites such as haveibeenpwned.com.

If you’ve been scammed... Note all the details of the scam, report to the police and services such as Citizens Advice and Action Fraud, and contact your bank.

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