4 fraud-proofing steps you can take right now

Spring is the season for cleaning and getting your home and life in order, but don't forget about your digital self.

You may find it's messier than your home, with guessable passwords, fraudulent direct debits or mystery searches on your credit report.

The good news is, tidying up your online life is less physically strenuous than scrubbing the floors or cleaning the windows. 

You can safeguard your identity and protect your money in seconds with just a few clicks.

Read on to find out how to clean up your digital life.

1. Check recurring payments

They're one of the sneakiest and most pernicious scams of our age: recurring payments that we don't recognise and never signed up to.

They can lurk in our bank accounts for years until we notice them, remaining under the radar by draining a few pounds a month. But over time, the losses can amount to thousands.

Scammers have all sorts of tricks for getting these subscription traps set up in the first place – hiding details in small print for other purchases, or even hijacking QR codes.

That's why it's so important to scrutinise your bank statement regularly. 

If you bank online or via mobile app, it's even easier, as most providers have a section called 'regular payments' or similar, which lists your recurring payments and direct debits. Checking this takes seconds.

If you spot something suspicious, query it with your bank immediately.

2. Set up spending alerts

Most mobile apps offer a range of push notifications for added security, meaning a message will pop up on your phone when something happens on your bank account.

Typically you can opt in to alerts for card spending and bank transfers (check the app settings for these options).

This means that if something fraudulent happens, you'll be notified instantly. For example, if someone takes your wallet and begins spending on your contactless card, your phone should ping and you can act quickly to block the card.

3. Check your credit report

Our identities are valuable to fraudsters, who can use them to obtain credit cards, loans and bank accounts in our names.

One way to stop their antics at an early stage is to regularly scour your credit report for any unfamiliar accounts or searches. This takes mere seconds, and once you're registered, some providers will even email you if something changes on your monthly report. 

If you find anything unusual, query it immediately, as it could reveal a fraudster using your identity.

You can do this for free via Clearscore (Equifax), Credit Karma (TransUnion) and Experian directly, through either a CreditExpert free trial or one of its free accounts.

• Find our more: how to check your credit report for free

4. Set up a password manager

It's almost impossible to manually create and recall dozens of unique passwords, as recommended by cybersecurity experts.

That's why so many of us resort to reusing the same passwords or using a guessable pattern or formula for inventing them.

But this is really unsafe. Hackers can force entry into our accounts using password-guessing software which can try thousands of passwords in a few seconds.

This is where password managers come in. Not only do they store all your passwords, but they also generate them for you. All you need to remember is your master password.

We know what you're thinking – you have dozens of online accounts, and saving all those login credentials into a password manager would be a big job.

Except it doesn't need to be done in one go. You can add in passwords as you go. So of you're logging into your social media today, you can take a few extra seconds to generate a stronger password and save it in your password manager.

So take a few moments to register with a password manager today, and your future self will thank you.

• Find our more:  which password managers Which? recommends