Chris Eden FIBC, MISSA, ACQI is a director of Quality Matters Limited an established independent man

The latest security lapse where the HMRC ( Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs Service) has 'lost' a CD containing names, addresses , NI numbers, dates of birth etc of up to 15,000 Standard Life customers has provided a new round of concerns about security of data. Apparently the disk, containing very useful information to identity thieves went missing while being transported from HMRC TO Standard Life Offices in Newcastle. Standard Life Customers have been warned to look out for any unusual activity in their financial accounts.

As we approach the season of goodwill it makes even more sense to guard against identity fraud and unauthorised transactions in credit cards and other banking areas. Copied or cloned credit cards, people watching as you enter pin numbers into 'Hole in the Wall cash machines' or just simple pickpockets taking a wallet or purse are just some of the ways that we can be relieved of our hard earned cash.

• Don't discard paper that has any personal or company details in the rubbish - shred all identifiable paper.


• Destroy all expired or replaced credit and debit cards. Cut into many pieces or put into a shredder (if it had the ability to shred credit cards)


• Don't respond to emails asking for user names and passwords - Banks never ask for this type of information in email.

Make the run up to the festive season a poor one for thieves.