ICO: Shred business documents and change passwords regularly

Business owners should shred financial documents and change their passwords frequently in order to prevent fraud, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) advised today.

ICO deputy commissioner David Smith says there are a number of things individuals and business owners can do, such as protecting computers with anti-viral software and checking financial statements for irregularities.

"Although it's hard, try and use different passwords and pin numbers. Don't use the same one all the time, or something obvious like your pet's name," he adds.

Mr Smith also advises consumers to question organisations taking their details in order to determine how they will be used.

According to ICO research, 81 per cent of people now shred all of their business and personal documents after use.

In a recent study by the Fellowes for National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, it emerged that 97 per cent of household waste contained material which could be used by an identity fraudster.