Hard-to-crack passwords make it much more difficult for thieves to steal your identity. So how do you come up with passwords that are easy enough to remember but hard for fraudsters to work out – while avoiding the temptation of using the same password for lots of different accounts?
Your first name, surname, birthday, home town, wife’s name, child’s name, pet’s name and so on all make bad passwords as they are easy for fraudsters to guess (or find out on Facebook).
Fraudsters also use automatic “dictionary” attacks, using a computer to work their way through common words – so it’s not a good idea to use everyday words as passwords, either.
One way to foil the most common methods fraudsters use is to start using combinations of letters, numbers and symbols – but you need to do more than stick the number 1 at the end of your surname, for instance.
One method is to use the initials of an easily memorable phrase. So ‘David Brent’s bank account at Nat West’ could become “dbb1@nwest” – a phrase that even dictionary software would find tough as it contains no real words. Or something like ‘tottenham 61’ could become ‘tott61enham’.
It’s also an idea to keep separate email addresses when you register for online services, in addition to using separate passwords. It’s free to get webmail from several different providers. This means if criminals get hold of one of your account’s details or gain access to one email account, your other accounts will be safe.
And, as ever, if you are worried you’ve been a victim of ID fraud
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