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Following the major data breach that has affected millions of Australians, people have been advised to take extra caution over the coming weeks and months.
Consumer Protection is urging all Optus customers, past or present, who may have been affected by the breach to be wary over the coming weeks of scams and misuse of their identity.
Affected parties should, in addition to following any guidance from Optus, take their own action to secure their accounts and be prepared for any unauthorised activity. Commissioner for consumer protection Gary Newcombe has labelled the event a major breach of trust relating to the personal information of Optus customers.
“Those affected, which it seems can include people who have not been customers of Optus for a lengthy period, are at risk of having their identity stolen and may become the target of scammers,” he said.
Mr Newcombe implored that the magnitude of the risk — which could see customers’ important proof of identity documents stolen and repurposed for criminal use — means complacency is not an option.
He explained that “these documents may include their name, date of birth, phone number and email address, as well as driver’s licence, Medicare, and passport numbers. All of these details are highly sought after by scammers, and undoubtedly, they will be used if they get hold of them.”
He added: “This sort of information can be used to directly contact people with scams or be used to try to apply for loans, open bank accounts or undertake other transactions in their name.
“While everyone needs to be alert to scams, current and former Optus customers now need to be especially alert. Do not click on any links in emails or text messages, and don’t provide any information to people who might contact you out of the blue.”
Consumer Protection has released several recommendations for all consumers to follow, including:
- Getting in touch with Optus if you believe your data has been breached.
- Change your passwords on your accounts and enable multifactor authentication.
- Monitor your bank accounts for unusual or unauthorised activity and contact your financial institutions if you’re concerned
- Put credit and transfer limits on your account.
- If you suspect fraud, you can request a ban on your credit report, which “freezes” access to your credit file.
- Do not share information if you are contacted by someone posing as a representative of a credible organisation.
- If you are a target or victim of a scam or suspect your account has been compromised, lodge an online report via the Australia Cyber Security Centre.
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