Protecting your Identity

According to a national survey by the Australian Institute of Criminology,almost one in 10 people experienced misuse of their personal information in the previous 12 months, and one in five people experienced misuse of their personal information at some point in their lives.

5 per cent of people experienced identity crime or misuse resulting in a financial loss in the previous 12 months at an average of $4,101 per incident.These findings indicate that identity crime has become one of the most prevalent crime types affecting Australians.

In South Australia this sort of crime was up by 12% on the previous year which is a worrying trend. OK, so what can we do to safeguard our Identity? 

·    Secure your personal documents at home, when you are traveling and if you need to destroy them.

·    Secure your mailbox with a lock and when you move, redirect your mail.

·    Be cautious about using social media and limit the amount of personal information you publish online.

·    Secure your computer and mobile phone using security software and strong passwords.

·    Learn how to avoid common scams by visiting the SCAMWatch website.

·    Be cautious about requests for your personal information over the internet, phone and in person in case it is a scam.

·    Investigate the arrival of new credit cards you didn’t ask for or bills for goods and services that aren’t yours.

·    Be alert for any unusual bank transactions or missing mail.

·    If you are a victim of identity theft, report it to the police and any relevant organisations.

·    Order a free copy of your credit report from a credit reporting agency on a regular basis, particularly if your identity has been stolen.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Ken Lay said there were 11,600 more credit card deceptions in the 12 months to March 2014 compared with the previous year, and the issue was "chewing up an enormous amount of police resources".