What is ID theft?

ID theft (sometimes referred to as ID fraud) is when someone gathers and uses another person’s personal information, usually for criminal purposes, such as:

• accessing a victim’s finances
• opening bank accounts or take out loans in a victim’s name
• committing an illegal offence in a victim’s name.

How can someone steal my identity?

ID theft involves stealing important pieces of personal information about you that allows someone else to pretend to be you.

Amongst other things, this might include your:

• bank account and credit card numbers
• passwords and PINs
• driver’s licence details.

Some of the more common methods ID thieves might use include:

• stealing your mail or rummaging through your rubbish looking for something that contains your personal information, such as your bank statements, old bills etc.
• using malicious software to steal personal information about you via your computer.
• tricking you into entering personal information on a bogus website using phishing emails or phaming.
• using spam to trick you into providing your personal information or to confirm your contact details.

How do I avoid ID theft?

ID theft can occur easily. Below are some tips to help you avoid it.

1. Place passwords on all your important accounts, but avoid using the same password for everything.
   
2. Choose a strong password and change it regularly – A ‘good’ password may be one that:
• include a combination of:

• numbers and letters
• upper and lower case, and
• special characters

• appear to be random
• are not words that can be found in the dictionary
• is not based on your login ID or your personal information (eg name or date of birth).
3. Keep your passwords and PINs safe and don’t share them with anyone.
   
4. Check your credit card and bank account statements for suspicious activity or transactions that you haven’t authorised. Checking regularly will help you pick up potential identity theft early and minimise the risk of further damage.
5. Create a secondary email address for shopping etc and only share your primary email address with people you know and trust. This will allow you to change your secondary address if you start to receive nuisance spam, without the hassle of changing your primary address too.
   
6. Be careful when clicking unsubscribe on a mailing list or spam.
   Spammers may use the ‘unsubscribe’ button to validate your email address, resulting in even more spam.
   
7. Check a company’s privacy statement before you provide any of your personal details online and only provide information that’s necessary for whatever it is you’re doing.
   
8. Store your personal information in a lockable filing cabinet or safe.
   
9. Destroy old bills, records or expired cards. Don’t just throw them out!
   
10. Use a firewall and good antivirus and anti-spyware software to help safeguard your computer against hackers and malicious software.
    
11. Read the Australian Government’s ID Theft kit for more information on protecting yourself against ID theft.

What if my identity is stolen?

ID theft is a serious crime that can have a detrimental effect on your good name. If you become a victim of ID theft, act on it as soon as you become aware of it.

The steps below will help you contain the damage and reduce the risk of further loss or damage.

1. Change your passwords immediately.
2. Report it to police. This will help them build a case and form a profile about the theif.
3. Notify all your financial institutions.
4. Notify any relevant websites that you are registered with.
5. Notify a credit reporting agency and ask: a. for a credit report, and b. to have an alert placed on your file.
6. Retain all relevant documents and files that could suppport a possible investigation.
7. Refer to the Australian Government's ID theft kit for further details on other things you should do and who you should contact.

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