Criminals spend hours piecing together information about you until they have enough to apply for credit cards, loans or documents such as driving licences and passports in your name.

#TakeFive before discarding old bank statements, clicking on links from phishing emails or sharing your personal information online, as it could be used by criminals to steal your identity.

• Follow our tips below to keep your identity protected:

• Destroy unwanted documents including bills, bank statements or post that’s in your name, preferably by using a shedder.

• Request copies of your personal credit report from a credit reference agency on a regular basis to check for any entries you don’t recognise.

• Provide as little personal information about yourself on social media as possible and only accept invitations from people you know.

• Neighbourhood Watch