Identity Fraud
If you’re a victim of identity fraud or suspect your identity has been stolen, it’s important to act quickly to minimise any financial or other damages.
Report the matter to your local police, and ask for a police report or reference number so you have evidence that you reported the issue.
Contact the organisation or agency that issued your identity document and your financial institution and tell them what happened.
Report cybercrime securely to the Australian Cyber Security Centre at ReportCyber.
Change your passwords
Change your account passwords and close any unauthorised accounts.
Seek expert advice
Contact IDCARE, Australia’s national identity and cyber support service, to get expert advice from a specialist identity and cyber security counsellor.
Get a copy of your credit report
Get a copy of your credit report to check it’s accurate — you’re entitled to a free credit report once every 3 months. It will also show which organisations have recently checked your credit history, so you can tell them not to authorise a new account in your name.
Consider contacting credit reporting bodies to place a ban period on your credit report — during a ban period, they won’t use or disclose your credit report or add new information to it.
Consider whether you may need a victims’ certificate
A victims’ certificate may help you with problems in your personal or business affairs caused by identity crime. You can apply for a certificate from the Commonwealth or from some states and territories, depending on the type of identity crime that occurred.
For more information, visit IDCARE
Always remember, adopting the practice of shredding personal documents that you no longer need is a simple yet powerful step – a best practice that everyone can follow to safeguard their sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.
