All consumers are entitled to a free annual copy of their credit report, which they can request in writing, via the website or by contacting the credit bureau by telephone, so you must be very wary of any third party companies attempting to ‘sell’ you a copy of your own credit report for a small fee.  If you want to more than one copy of your credit report in the same year you may have to pay a small fee to the credit bureau though as they are only required by law to provide you with one free copy every 12 months, however if you have received a denial for a credit application because of the details supplied by the credit reference bureau you are entitled to claim another free copy of your report as long as you request it within 30 days of receiving the application denial notice.

Consumers also have the right to know exactly who has been accessing their credit reports, which financial institutions and lenders do regularly in order to send out pre-approved credit offers and if you decide you do not want anyone to access your report in the future you can set up a credit lock or ‘freeze’ which will prevent anyone from requesting copies of your report.  This will prevent you from requesting credit yourself in the future, so you will need to unlock or unfreeze your report if you intend to apply for a new credit card, bank account or any other credit product.

There are ways you can help to reduce the risks of becoming a victim of skimming, and it is important to treat your credit card details as confidential, and not use your card to pay for anything unless you are sure the recipient is genuine, and is going to treat your information securely:

• Use ATM machines inside banks wherever possible, as these have better security and are less likely to have been tampered with.  Avoid ATMs that are in isolated places, and also stand alone versions (which also have the disadvantage of charging you for taking out cash) as these are more likely to have been tampered with.
• It can be difficult to spot fake card readers, as they can be very sophisticated, but look out for any obvious signs of tampering such as loose, ill fitting card slots on ATM machines or odd looking keypad covers, and if your card is retained by the machine for no reason at all (and you know you still have money in your account) then contact your provider immediately and get it cancelled, as this is another method thieves have of obtaining your credit cards.
• Cover the keypad as you enter your PIN number when paying for goods or taking our money, and make sure no one is stood close to you when you do this.  Thieves can often practice ‘shoulder skimming’ in order to try and memorise your PIN numbers and card details.