If you receive Child Benefit it is important that you know about the personal information
which has been lost.
The Government has said that only families who were receiving Child Benefit on 30
September 2007 are affected.
It has been confirmed that the missing information contained sort code and bank
account details, national insurance numbers and dates of birth, as well as the names
and addresses of families and children. If you are one of these families the message
from the Government is that your Child Benefit will still be paid.
It is important that you are aware of what is happening with your personal information.
You can do this by:
1. Your accounts
Keeping a close eye on your finances and checking your statements for unusual activity.
If there are any items listed that you are worried about or your statements or bills
don’t arrive contact your bank or building society immediately.
2. Requests for information
Being aware of people who contact you by phone or email asking for personal information.
Remember to ask where they say they are calling from, and then if you are concerned
or suspicious that they are not who they say they are contact your bank or building
society straight away.
3. Your passwords
Changing your passwords if they contain any personal information, such as a name
or birthday.
If your personal information may have been lost you are advised not to change your
bank or building society account. The British Banking Association has said that
unless fraud has taken place you should not make any changes.
Banks and building societies have told customers that the lost information is not
enough to access accounts, and passwords or other security information would be
needed.
If your personal data is misused there are steps you can take.
The first thing to do is contact the organisation where the fraud has taken place.
Often in these circumstances if you are an innocent victim of banking fraud you
are likely to be protected.
Remember, you can contact the Child Benefit Helpline on 0845 302 1444 and you can
also visit
www.identitytheft.org.uk
You can get more information about protecting yourself by contacting the fraud prevention
service CIFAS on 0870 010 2091 or visiting
www.cifas.org.uk