We live in a time when we need to be especially vigilant about who has access to our personal information. Identity theft is a serious problem and the fraudulent use of your private data can have a disastrous impact on your personal and financial life. For a number of reasons, your sensitive data is more at risk when you are moving house, but there are a number of steps you can take to limit your exposure and minimise the impacts.

What to Look for When Organising Your Move Online

Organising your move on the Internet has never been so easy. That's great. But you need to keep your privacy and personal information in mind whenever you're submitting sensitive information. You may be posting some highly private data including address', move dates, names, credit card details, email address' and passwords.

Look for the lock symbol in your browser's URL/address bar and check that the website holds a valid SSL certificate from a reputable authority. A valid certificate means that your data transfers are being encrypted and can't easily be viewed by a third, unintended party.

Whether or not a company decides to encrypt/secure your online data exchanges is also an indicator of how reputable a company is and how much they care about the integrity of their client's personal information.

Also, check to see if your removalist has posted a decent Privacy Policy, explaining what data they collect, why, who they'll share it with and how they plan to use it.

Consider choosing a password that will only be used for organising your move. It's a mistake to use the same email address and password to access different websites - especially those that you use with your email provider. Keeping track of all those username and passwords can be a real pain. There are plenty of apps that can store and encrypt your usernames and passwords for different websites and services. Don't write them down on paper.

A Little Bird Told Me You're Moving...

Refrain from getting too particular about your move details when posting on social media, such as Facebook or Twitter. You could be unwittingly informing unsavoury characters about when your home will be:

• Packed and ripe for the picking;
• When your house is likely to be unattended;
• When mail is likely to be collecting in your unattended letterbox.

• Announcing your move details on social media could be a mistake. Be careful how much you share and who you share with.

Update Your Details and Redirect Mail - ASAP

You don't want important documents being sent to your old address. Many access cards are automatically issued to your last known address, such as credit cards, Medicare and concession cards, etc. Your credit cards may be used to easily steal money that's not your most pressing concern. These access cards, along with many other sensitive documents and statements can be used together as points of identification that can allow someone to steal your identity. Identity theft is a massive problem and can have a massive impact on your personal and/or financial life.

Set up a redirect service with Australia Post to send mail addressed to you onto your new address. You should immediately update your details with any company or authority that has had mail redirected to you.

Keep a list of all incoming mail in the lead up to your move so that you can have a more complete list of who will need your updated details.

Check your bank statements for direct debits to see who you do regular business with and update your details accordingly.

Move To Online Notifications, Billings and Statements

Wherever possible, try to move to online communications between you and business' and organisations that you do regular business with. It's best to minimise the amount of mail that may possibly end up at your old address.

Carry ALL Important Documents with You

Never send passports, prescriptions, birth certificates, ATO communications, or other important and sensitive documents along with your furniture removalists. These should never be entrusted to ANY third party. They should travel with you. You may need them at some stage during the move and the information they contain can be highly sensitive.

Destroy Sensitive Documents

Are you clearing out all your old files in preparation for your move? Don't just throw them in the bin. Whenever you are getting rid of personal files you should destroy them. A huge "Sold" sign out the front of your old home is an advertisement that you're moving on and your bins likely contain stacks of your personal information - ripe for the picking. At the very least, shred your documents before disposing of them. Consider disposing of them in an altogether different location.

• Destroy sensitive documents when you're clearing out. Otherwise your garbage bin could be a goldmine for fraudsters.

Don't Label Too Clearly

It's always important that you clearly label your moving boxes. It's helps to improve efficiency in packing, unpacking, loading and unloading your move and also prevents and mix-ups.

Be careful, though, not to slap a big label on a carton advertising that it contains "IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS".

Personal Security

For personal security as much as privacy, it's always a good idea to change the locks of your new home if others have lived there previously. You don't know who has access to the property, including locked mailboxes..You cannot gaurantee that all keys have been accounted for. You may need to change the frequency or access codes for garage door openers and security systems. If you're unsure of how do do this, look up the make and model of your system online. You're more than likely to find a manual that will show you how.

In Closing:

Keep the protection of your personal information in mind throughout your move. Take reasonable precautions to minimise your exposure. Be vigilant; monitoring your accounts, emails and correspondence to quickly identify any problems and minimise the impacts