ACCORDING to a survey conducted by credit bureau, TransUnion, someone’s identity somewhere in the world is stolen every two seconds. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world, while nearly half of all South Africans have either fallen victim or know of someone who has been a victim.

Vera Nagtegaal, Executive Head of Hippo.co.za said: “Consumers should arm themselves with information and take all necessary precautions to protect their personal and financial information.”

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Every day we share credit card and other information about ourselves when we shop online or on social media. The more we share, the more vulnerable we become to identity theft.

Should a fraudster get hold of these personal details, such as ID documents, payslips and banking details, they can open accounts in your name and run up credit card debt on your behalf.”

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What’s more added Nagtegaal is victims might only learn of such incidents by chance. She advised that it was vital to keep an eye out for notifications of withdrawals from your bank account.

Nagtegaal also warns against phishing scams and urges consumers to exercise caution when opening unsolicited emails or sharing any details online.

“It is also important to keep internet browser and security software up-to-date to help guard against these types of malware, email scams and possible software breaches.”

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