Identity theft is now one of the rapidly growing crimes in India. Your name, address, bank account number, credit card number or other identifying information can be used to commit this crime or other fraud without your knowledge.

Identity theft causes huge losses to financial organisations and individuals regularly. Here we bring you a few tips that can help you protect yourself against identity theft.

Be careful while sharing personal info

Never give out personal information over the phone, through mail or on the Internet unless you are sure you know whom you are dealing with.

If you are sharing personal information, confirm that you are dealing with a legitimate person or organisation. If you receive a phone call or email asking you to verify information, do not respond. End the call and call the bank directly.

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Late last week, there were reports doing the rounds that hackers based out of neighboring China had managed to break into the servers of India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

While the reports quoted unnamed MEA sources as confirming that no sensitive information had indeed been touched by the hackers, the incident has clearly set alarm bells ringing through the ministry that is believed to be in the process of dispatching teams to ensure future security of their computer systems.

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