Is your ID already for sale on the dark web?

Updated
man using a tablet in the dark...
man using a tablet in the dark...



The Talk Talk hacking has raised concerns among many people that their personal details may be vulnerable, but a report has revealed that it's far too late to be worried about this, because there's a good chance your ID may already have been taken - and is up for sale.

According to the Financial Times, the personal details of more than 600,000 customers were stolen from companies in 2014, and tens of thousands of them are currently on sale on the dark web - for an average of $30 or £19.20.

It added that the figures include thousands of details taken from the government's own computers, and that these IDs include all the details criminals need to steal your identity. It said a 'senior official' had claimed that profiles hacked from the 'Government Gateway' database - which brings together data from HMRC and the DWP - are fetching $75 each, because they are so valuable to thieves.
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What can you do?

Getting into the dark web and hunting out your details isn't something that the average user can do. The websites are hidden from view - so you cannot use a normal search engine to find things. You need to search using The Onion Router (known as TOR), so any other kind of search will prove fruitless.

Instead of checking whether your details are on the dark web, therefore, you need to protect yourself by proactively checking whether you have been a victim of ID theft - on a regular basis.

The first thing most people know about ID theft is when they are contacted by a bank or other financial company about a product they never knew they had - or a debt they didn't run up.

Don't wait for this to happen. You should regularly check your personal credit history and look at all the loans, cards, mortgages or other credit accounts in your name. There are lots of different agencies offering these credit reports. Experian and Equifax are the largest, although Noddle is a free option.

If you see anything you don't recognise, contact the credit reference agency that holds your credit report, and contact the police to let them know that you think your identity has been stolen and used fraudulently. You should get a crime number or incident number.

You also need to get in touch with the financial company that has been duped and tell them you have been a victim of fraud. They will require proof that the account has not been set up by you, so check transactions and consider whether there was any way you could prove you did not make them.

Some of the credit agencies, including Experian, offer a Victims of Fraud service, which will help you investigate and put things right. They can tell you what to do, and put security features on your credit report to make it harder for criminals to run up more debt in your name.

You should also contact the Post Office, as intercepting post is one of the most common ways of stealing identities. Ask them to investigate, and in the interim don't leave your mail anywhere insecure - including communal hallways in flats.

And finally, you should make sure you are taking precautions so you are less likely to be a victim again. Shredding sensitive documents is key, as is knowing where your credits cards, driving licence and passport are at all times, and reporting them immediately if they are lost or stolen.

What Is the Dark Web?
What Is the Dark Web?

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