If you have responded to a phishing email which asked you for personal details, there are a few things you should do straight away. The type of information you sent, will determine what you need to do.

If you have sent information about your bank accounts, then you should contact your bank immediately. Tell them what has happened and they will be able to change your passwords and close the accounts if necessary. They will also be able to reissue new credit cards to you. In addition, banks can put a note on your account in case there is any suspicious activity in the future. If there has been unauthorised activity on your account, you can then talk to the bank to resolve the matter.

If you have sent information about another type of account (such as telephone or internet or a payment service) then you should contact your service providers immediately. As with the bank, tell them what has happened and they can help you change passwords and close accounts if necessary.

If you have sent personal details, such as name, address, birth date and phone number, unfortunately there is not much you can do. If you have sent information such as your mother’s maiden name or other answers to possible security questions, then you might want to consider changing these as soon as possible.