People who live in shared and rented accommodation are statistically more vulnerable to identity theft than those that own their homes, as this type of accommodation is less likely to have a sufficient level of onsite security against opportunistic thieves such as burglar alarm systems and restricted access to the back of the property, and it is also more likely in shared accommodation for windows and doors being left open providing access points for thieves.  Also the mail in shared accommodation often gets delivered in bulk to a main hallway, rather than being delivered to each individual flat/room, and this means that more people have access to your personal mail making it more vulnerable to theft.  People in rented accommodation are also more likely to move around a lot more, and often forget to forward on their mail, so this means that important documents are still received at their old addresses, which can be then intercepted by identity thieves.

If you are keen to try your hand at investment there you should take a commonsense approach to all opportunities that come your way, and make sure you are aware of the techniques used by scammers to try and force you into making a hasty decision or revealing you personal details:

•    Courtesy Victims – fraudsters can try and take advantage of your good manners in order to scam information from you.  For example many people would think it rude to hang up on a caller mid way through a conversation, but in reality this may be the only way to get rid of someone who will not take no for an answer, and the longer you are on the phone the more likely it is that you will succumb to the fraudsters attempt to trick you into giving them the information they want or paying them money.

•    Take Your Time – there will always be more investment opportunities so don’t let someone rush you into making a decision by telling you they need an immediate response or you will lose out.  It is better to take your time and decide the investment is sound before committing yourself and if the deadline for submission is too soon for you then just move on the next opportunity.