What exactly is identity theft?

In identity theft, criminals steal a person's personal information and use it for fraudulent purposes without their knowledge. This information may include names, dates of birth, addresses, passwords and other personal data.

This often happens through phishing attacks, in which fraudsters try to lure potential victims via dangerous links or websites and persuade them to enter data. Financial identity theft in particular is a growing problem. Fraudsters steal credit or debit card data in order to make unauthorised payments or plunder accounts. With the stolen data, they can impersonate the person concerned and, for example, make a flight or hotel booking in the victim's name.

You can protect yourself against identity theft with these dos and don'ts:

• Distrust messages from unknown senders.
• Never click on links and never open attachments.
• Always check the sender’s e-mail address and URL.
• Log in only via official websites (not via links).
• Be sure to keep your web browser and operating system up to date
• Never disclose login and card data.
• Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
• Activate an alert service to receive a message when payments are made.
• Check your transactions and payments.