MyCRA Specialist Credit Repair Lawyers

Tag: data warehousing

Protect your child online, protect their credit rating.

If you know how to help your child stay smart online, you could just be protecting their future credit rating. One of the focuses of Stay Smart Online Week 2014 is protecting our children and helping them have safe and positive experiences online. There are significant risks to children in using the internet. Many parents may know that apart from the potential exposure to sexually explicit, violent, prohibited or even illegal content, our children may also experience cyber bullying or be at risk from contact by strangers.

What many parents don’t know is that children are also a target for fraudsters. If they are not smart online, they may be at risk of damaging their credit rating, before they even have one. We reveal the dangers for children online when it comes to identity theft and their credit rating, as well as giving some general tips to help your child stay smart and stay safe online.

By Graham Doessel, Non-Legal Director of MyCRA Lawyers www.mycralawyers.com.au . Stay Smart Online Week 2014.

Protecting the integrity of your child’s credit rating is a crucial part of protecting them online. A trick by fraudsters termed ‘data warehousing’ could mean we may see a new generation of identity theft victims. The fraud takes personal information (often freely available) and stores it until the child comes of age to take out credit or to apply for identity documents. The information is then used to take out loans, create false accounts or commit crimes.

If the personal information is used to take out loans, the young person can end up with a series of defaults or other black marks and may be totally unaware until they apply for their first loan or credit card. For 5 years they could be locked out of credit, refused cards, loans, even mobile phones. It need not be major fraud to be a massive blow to the identity theft victim. Unpaid accounts for as little as $150 can have the same negative impact on someone’s ability to obtain credit as a missed mortgage payment. So any misuse of someone’s credit file can be extremely significant.

Proving the case of identity theft when attempting to recover a clear credit rating is already difficult for the individual to undertake, as the onus is on the victim to prove to creditors they didn’t initiate the credit. Adding to that the fact that the perpetrator would be long gone with the actual act of identity theft happening years earlier – and those young people will have a very difficult task of recovery indeed.

Late last year, the Courier Mail featured a story where Police were warning parents about criminals who are tracking the lives of children online, harvesting personal information to steal their identities once they become adults. The story, titled ‘Social media enables cyber criminals to build profiles for identity theft’ delved in to just how this type of fraud can occur.

Queensland police fear a generation of youngsters could be burnt by their obsession for revealing all on the internet – left with bad credit ratings or associated with crimes they had no part in.

Detective Inspector Phillip Stevens from the police service’s fraud and cyber crime group said criminals were harvesting the information for their own illegal purposes or to sell it to other fraudsters.

He said social media sites were prime sources of information for online criminals. Names, ages, places of birth and addresses were all being stored and he warned parents to stop their children putting too many details online.

“Everyone is a potential victim but we see children as vulnerable (because of the level of detail they post online),” Insp Stevens said.
He said products such as low-document loans allowed criminals to apply for money over the internet.

The lack of robust identity checking was enabling fraudsters to take out loans with stolen identities, he said.

“By using a computer, criminals have no borders, can access more victims and recycled stolen identities.”

He said by the time some children and adults become more savvy about their online personal details they may have already been a victim.

“Identities are used for more than just fraudulent financial gains, they also used within the criminal environment as a means of providing a level of anonymity, in order to evade traditional policing methodologies.

“If you have access to a supply of identities you can hide within the environment, commit crime under one name and hire a car with another. It makes it very difficult for police to actually know who they are looking for.”

So how can we protect our children?

It begins with taking an active role in your child’s computer use, and realising that their personal information is just as coveted as our own. Perhaps even more so – as the likelihood the child will have a clean credit history to begin with is even higher.

It starts with talking to your kids about the internet, and to do that, you need to understand the spaces they are communicating in by being involved. Keep up with the latest sites and technologies to ensure you are always able to give relevant input to your child.

Put an emphasis on protection, from settings to passwords on all devices and accounts, and encourage regular updating of passwords and codes. And ensure that they understand the importance of protecting their personal information no matter what age they are.

Here are some other general tips which can help you ensure you are protecting your child online in all sectors, courtesy of Stay Smart Online:

Top tips

• Know what your children are doing online-make sure they know how to stay safe and encourage them to tell you if they come across anything suspicious or if anybody says or does something that makes them feel uncomfortable or threatened.

• Get to know the technologies your children are using. This will help you understand the risks and to be able to talk to them about what they are doing online.

• Discuss the risks with your children and agree on some rules for internet use. Post them clearly near your computer.

• Tell your children if they are uncomfortable talking to you they can contact the Cybersmart Online Helpline (Kids Helpline) www.cybersmart.gov.au

• Place the computer in a family area of the home – the family or living room, rather than a bedroom.

• Install an internet content filter. This can be used to restrict what content is viewed and downloaded or the times when they can use the internet.

• Make sure your children know not to share personal information or photos. This includes their full name, mailing address, telephone number, the name of their school, or any information that could allow someone to work out who they are and where they live.

• Report inappropriate, harmful or criminal activities that occur online or via a mobile device to www.thinkuknow.org.au

• Report offensive content to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). You can do this by completing the relevant online form at www.acma.gov.au/hotline or by sending an email to online@acma.gov.au or phone 1800 880 176

Don’t let your children get caught with credit rating defaults that should not be there. Don’t let fraudsters take over their good name. Educate yourself and your child on what a valuable commodity your personal information is, and how you and your child can protect what is your ticket to financial freedom in this modern world – your credit file – from fraud.

So our message this week is: take heed online, and safeguard your personal information to prevent identity theft and credit file misuse.

For more information on credit file misuse, or to get more help or information about the security of your credit file, visit our main site www.mycralawyers.com.au, or you can contact us on 1300 667 218.

Image: Ambro/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

04/06/2014
Gamers: cheating could cost you your credit rating

If you or someone in your family is a gamer, then you would be familiar with hacks. Hacks and cheats are designed to give a gamer help with a game by allowing them to download useable software for assistance. But security company, AVG says downloading hacks could open up a can of worms not only for the gamer, but for anyone else that uses the computer, because you have probably also just downloaded Malware. We look at how this occurs, what Malware does and what the risks are for your personal information and your credit file.

By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repair and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au

Antivirus vendor AVG has issued a warning to gamers following research which suggests that more than 90 per cent of ‘hacks’ available online contain some form of malware or malicious code.

Hacks and cheats are commonly incorporated into games; however, the sheer popularity of online multiplayer games has made gamers prime targets for cybercriminals.

“The research suggests more than 90 per cent of hacks, cracks, patches, cheats, key generators, trainers and other downloadable game tools contain malware or executable code.

These hacks are commonly delivered via unregulated torrents and file sharing sites, an easy vector for malware.

Malware inadvertently downloaded with hacks can give attackers easy access to your online gaming account as well as other sensitive information such as online banking details, personal data and passwords for other online services,” Stay Smart Online recently advised.

They advise gamers to only download patches from the game’s official site, and to avoid any unofficial software. They also recommend:

Always be suspicious of any files downloaded from torrents and file sharing websites.

Ensure you always have up-to-date security software installed on your computer.

Use unique account logon and password information for each of your online gaming accounts (and every other online service you use).

What is ‘malware’?

Malware— is short for ‘malicious software’. It is a type of malicious code or program that is used for monitoring and collecting your personal information (spyware) or disrupting or damaging your computer (viruses and worms). Stay Smart Online explains in more detail:

Spyware

The term spyware is typically used to refer to programs that collect various types of personal information or that interfere with control of your computer in other ways, such as installing additional software or redirecting web browser activity.

Examples of spyware include:

Keyloggers

A keylogger is a program that logs every keystroke you make and then sends that information, including things like passwords, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers, to whomever is spying on you.

Trojans

A Trojan may damage your system and it may also install a ‘backdoor’ through which to send your personal information to another computer.

Viruses and worms

Viruses and worms typically self-replicate and can hijack your system. These types of malware can then be used to send out spam or perform other malicious activities and you may not even know it. Both can use up essential system resources, which may lead to your computer freezing or crashing. Viruses and worms often use shared files and email address books to spread to other computers.

Malware and your credit file

If fraudsters can get their hands on your personal information they can steal passwords to not only the gaming site, but also to the bank or credit accounts of anyone who uses that computer.

They can also create a patchwork quilt of information that can allow them to eventually have enough on you to request duplicate identity documents (identity theft), and apply for credit in your name (identity fraud).

Running up credit all over town, perhaps buying and selling goods in your name, or in some cases mortgaging properties –you may have a stack of credit defaults against your name by the end of their ordeal – and sometimes no proof it wasn’t you that didn’t initiate the credit in the first place.

Recovery can be slow, and in some cases you may have no way to prove you weren’t responsible for the debt – with fraudsters leaving no trail and the actual identity theft happening long before the fraud took place.

Who might be most at risk?

Gamers often aren’t worried about risks to their personal information as they are often young people who consider they don’t have much to lose, when in fact they do. Firstly, if Malware is downloaded – it puts the entire family at risk. But secondly, a young person is just as vulnerable as anyone to exploitation. There have been reports of crooks harvesting the personal information of young people and storing it until the victim turn 18. Australian Police have issued warnings on the issue of data warehousing in relation to Facebook in the past, but fraudsters won’t be fussy about where they get it from. It all has a lucrative price on the ‘black market’ of personal information.

For more help with teaching kids and young people about online risks, go to the Stay Smart Online website http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/kids_and_teens.

Visit our main website www.mycra.com.au for more information on identity theft and your credit file.

Image 1: Arvind Balaraman/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image 2: Salvatore Vuono/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

06/06/2013
Safer Internet Day: Protect your child’s identity online

Media Release

Safer Internet Day: Protect your child’s identity online

5 February 2013

On Safer Internet Day, parents and carers need to know their kids may be risking their identity and future credit rating by posting volumes of personal information to open forums and other sites, a consumer advocate for accurate credit reporting warns.

“The harsh reality is if you’re a young person in Australia today you are not immune to identity fraud. Even though you are not yet credit active the personal information you make public today could be used against you in the future,” CEO of MyCRA Credit Repair, Graham Doessel says.

‘Cybersmart’ hosts Safer Internet Day today, with this year’s theme being ‘Connect with Respect’, encouraging people to think about their ‘Online Rights and Responsibilities’.[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][i]

More than 22,000 students are participating today in Cybersmart’s online safety presentations, 1500 kids are playing Cybersmart Challenge games and Cybersmart is also broadcasting live and online all over the world from 5pm-8pm tonight.

The website educates young people, their teachers and carers about how to stay safe and stay smart online, touching on issues like cyber-bullying, online predators, and identity theft with an emphasis on understanding the potential consequences of online behaviour.

Mr Doessel says identity theft is still a risk for under 18’s, and many young people and their parents don’t know the dangers of having a public ‘profile’ on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

“A public profile is a big risk for anyone at any age. With the volume of personal information contained there, fraudsters can use that information to create an identity in your name, and even take out credit,” he says.

In late 2011, Identity expert Ben McQuillan of the Australian Federal Police warned people about the new trend of ‘warehousing’ which involves storing data for a time, making it harder for a victim or bank to trace where and when the data was stolen.

”If people know your full name, your date of birth, where you went to school and other lifestyle issues, and they were to warehouse that data, there is a prospect that could then be used to take out loans or credit cards or to create a bank account that could then be used to launder money,” McQuillan told the Sydney Morning Herald.[ii]

This warning was echoed by Queensland Fraud Squad’s Superintendant Brian Hay, who warned that criminals were targeting the personal information of our young Facebook users.

Supt Hay said criminals had been known to be storing the personal information of children around the world in databases to be used when they turn 18 and are able to take out credit.

“We know that the crooks have been data warehousing identity information, we know that they’ve been building search engines to profile and build identities,” he told Channel 7’s Sunrise program in October 2011.[iii]

“We need to tell our children if you surrender your soul, if you surrender your identity to the internet it could come back to bite you in a very savage way years down the track,” he said.

Mr Doessel says identity theft is not only about the initial loss of monies, but if the fraud amounts to credit accounts in the young victim’s name going undetected and unpaid past 60 days, creditors will issue defaults.

“It need not be major fraud to have a detrimental effect. Credit file defaults for as little as $100 can stop someone from being able to obtain credit for 5 years. So any damage, however small to someone’s credit file can be extremely significant,” he says.

He says the onus is on the victim to prove to creditors they didn’t initiate the credit.

“The fact that the perpetrator is long gone and the actual act of identity theft happened years earlier will only add to the difficulty for the young person in recovering their good name,” he says.

Experts recommend parents and young people continue to update their skills on how to be cyber-smart.

Mr Doessel says parents and young people should remember 5 Key Tips for Safeguarding Personal Information:

1. Keep privacy settings private. Your profile on sites like Facebook should be kept Private, and it’s a good idea to check your settings from time to time to make sure it stays that way. This makes it harder for crooks to find your personal information.

2. Use passwords. Use strong passwords online, regularly changing them. You should also do the same for your smartphone. Stay one step ahead of hackers.

3. What you post may be permanent. Every piece of information you post – no matter how secure you think it may be – may show up again one day.

4. Your personal information should be guarded at all times. Personal information is the gateway to identity theft. How secure is the site you are using? Think – if it’s not necessary – do you really need to give it out or post it?

5. Careful who you ‘friend’. Crooks can scan the internet requesting ‘friendships’ on sites like Facebook – but they may not be after friendship but your personal information. If you don’t know the person who is sending you the friend request, check their profile – do they seem like a real person? Ask -why do they want to be my friend? If you’re unsure, ignore the request.

The cybersmart website http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/ has a range of multimedia educational resources.

/ENDS.

Please contact:

Graham Doessel – CEO MyCRA PH 3124 7133

Lisa Brewster – Media Relations media@mycra.com.au

http://www.mycra.com.au/ 246 Stafford Road, STAFFORD QLD.

Ph: 07 3124 7133

MyCRA Credit Repair is Australia’s number one in credit rating repairs. We permanently remove defaults from credit files.

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[i] http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_600164

[ii] http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/police-warn-of-sophisticated-plan-to-steal-identities-20111108-1n5l8.html#ixzz1dB4ctHcT

[iii] http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/26825601/child-identity-theft/

Image: Clare Bloomfield/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image 2: David Castillo Dominici/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

05/02/2013
12 Quick Privacy Tips for Parents

As we close off Privacy Awareness Week 2012, it’s important to take away some information that people can use in their daily lives to protect their personal information, to prevent identity theft and to protect the integrity of their credit file from credit fraud. If you are a parent who wants to get involved in what your child is doing online, or even if you feel overwhelmed by the online options open to young people today – this information could save you from the dangers that occur through internet use and allow both and your child to get on the same page about online safety.

By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner, Canada has put together some information for parents on 12 Quick Privacy Tips which show how to navigate a digital environment and how parents can lead their children in better Privacy practices.

We have included this information sheet for you in its entirety:

12 Quick Privacy Tips for Parents

It can be tough raising kids in a digital environment. Many of them use the Internet effortlessly, and easily adapt to new devices that connect to it. For many of us, these tools have become a routine part of our children’s lives, as they use them to chat, surf, post, play and learn. The Internet has become one of the most powerful tools they have to connect with friends and make new ones.

Many kids, however, don’t fully understand the impact that some online activities may have on their privacy. Below are 12 tips to help you limit the risks to your children’s personal information, while allowing them to make the most of their time online.

•1. Talk to your kids.
It’s important to know the Internet spaces your kids frequent and the devices they use to go online, to help you understand the nature of personal information they may be sharing. Technology changes rapidly and many children are ahead of adults in adapting to new options. Talk with them often about their online activities to keep up with what they are doing and interested in.

•2. Try it out.
It’s not enough to know what online spaces and devices your kids are using. To understand the nature of the personal information they are sharing, you should know how they are using and experiencing them. So, dive in. Try out the family web cam if you have one, play the online games they love, create a profile on the social networking sites they frequent, and download some music.

•3. Keep up with the technology.
Many mobile devices, like smart phones, tablets and gaming consoles, can connect to the web and have video cameras. The lines between devices are blurring, and it is important to know what kind of device your child has, so that you know whether they are merely playing a game, or if they are using the Internet and sharing personal information.

•4. Make restricting privacy settings a habit.
Most social networking sites have extensive privacy options that children should learn to use. For each site where your kids are posting information about themselves, their family and their friends, sit down with them and review that site’s privacy policy. Then modify the privacy settings of their account, and have them consider how the information they are posting could be used – or misused – by others.

•5. Make password protection a priority.
Children need to understand that their online information will be better protected if they use passwords. They should use different passwords for different sites and they should change them regularly. Encourage them to ensure their passwords are strong (eight characters or more and a variety of letters and/or numbers), to change them regularly, and to never share them with anyone.

•6. Emphasize the importance of protecting mobile devices.
The first thing anyone should do with a new mobile device is activate the password protection. Talk to your kids about this, and the importance of protecting the device itself – not just because it may be expensive, but because it may contain their personal information. A device that gets into the wrong hands could result in embarrassing or even malicious videos or pictures being posted online by someone else in your child’s name.

•7. Remind your kids that what they post on the Internet is not always private.
Your kids should understand that once they post content online, they no longer have control over it. It can be forwarded, copied and pasted, manipulated, printed out or saved – it can remain online, in some form, potentially forever. They should know that even password-protected pages are not totally secure, and that deleting information doesn’t mean that it’s gone forever.

•8. Teach your kids to think before they click.
It can take only seconds to snap a photo and post it to the Internet, or to post a comment. But it can be nearly impossible to permanently delete that comment or photo once it’s posted, as it can then be downloaded or archived by others. This is why it’s so important for kids to think twice about every piece of personal information before they post it to the Internet. They should only post things that they would be comfortable with the whole world seeing.

•9. Stress the importance of knowing your real friends.
Kids need to know that, online, they can’t be 100% sure of who they’re talking to, so they should never accept friend requests from people they don’t know in real life. Online friends can end up accessing online photo albums, reading personal comments, copying and pasting information, knowing what you’re doing and where you are. Remind your kids that a “friend” of a “friend” of a real-life friend is really just a stranger.

•10. Teach your kids that their personal information is valuable.
Kids need to know that many people and companies want their personal information to sell or market things to them in the future. New and exciting technologies are emerging daily, but often personal information is the cost of admission. Review the personal information they often need to surrender in order to play online games, fill out an online survey or quiz, join virtual worlds or even just shop online. Discuss potential ways to limit that information, for example, by completing only required fields, using pseudonyms, and using incomplete information.

•11. Let your kids know that you are there if they make a privacy mistake.
Stay calm if your child makes a mistake, like posting something they shouldn’t have. Help them remove the post, where possible, and talk with them about how they can avoid a similar mistake in the future. If you “freak out” or deny access to them, they may not come to you for help when they really need it in future.

•12. Set a good example.
Remember, those cute potty training or bathing photos of your own child that you are tempted to post can also be copied and shared, and remain online forever! Just as you would respect your friends when posting photos or other items that contain their personal information, respect your kids’ personal information too. Set a good example when you’re online so your kids have a good role model to look to if they’re wondering what kind of information is OK to post.

Credit fraud: What can happen to your child if their personal information is extracted by fraudsters

Superintendant Brian Hay from the Queensland Fraud Squad told Channel 7’s Sunrise Program in October last year, that criminals were targeting the personal information of our young Facebook users.

Supt Hay said criminals had been known to be storing the personal information of children around the world in databases to be used when they turn 18 and are able to take out credit.

“We know that the crooks have been data warehousing identity information, we know that they’ve been building search engines to profile and build identities,” he told Sunrise.

“We need to tell our children if you surrender your soul, if you surrender your identity to the internet it could come back to bite you in a very savage way years down the track,” he says.

Most identity theft victims have no idea they have given away personal information to fraudsters until it is too late. If identity fraud sees accounts in the victim’s name going undetected and unpaid past 60 days, the credit file holder can have their good name destroyed for 5-7 years due to defaults.

It need not be major fraud to be a massive blow to the identity theft victim. Unpaid accounts for as little as $100 can have the same negative impact on someone’s ability to obtain credit as a missed mortgage payment. So any misuse of someone’s credit file can be extremely significant.

For more education for parents about the risks of cyber-crime and tips for staying safe, the Government has put together the CyberSmart website, which has special sections for parents and children. You may also like to visit the government’s Stay Smart Online website, which provides information for Australian internet users on the simple steps they can take to protect their personal and financial information online. It also has an Alert system which you can subscribe to, which notifies you of the latest risks to your personal information or computer.

Don’t get caught with credit rating defaults that should not be there. Don’t let fraudsters take over your good name. Educate yourself on what a valuable commodity your personal information is, and how you can protect what is your ticket to financial freedom in this modern world – your credit file – from fraud.

Image above: Keerati/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs is proud to be a Partner for Privacy Awareness Week 2012.

06/05/2012
Are 177,000 CHILDREN capable of staying safe on Facebook?

Parents…are your children on Facebook? We look at what this could mean for them, for you and for your credit file.

By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

An alarming statistic was revealed by a leading West Australian newspaper on Sunday on the possible number of WA children on Facebook who were under 13.

The Sunday Times revealed in its article “Facebook offers up 150,000 West Australian kids” Perth Now, March 3, 2012 that the Facebook advertising database claims it can reach more than 170,000 children in WA under the age of 13.

“Facebook allows users access to its database statistics if they’re planning to advertise on their website.

It says advertisers wanting to target young teens in WA could reach an estimated 177,220 users aged 13 or under.

Facebook doesn’t let users sign up unless they claim to be over 13. But users often give away their true age by listing information such as the primary school they attend,” the article says.

This is a global issue. A U.S. Facebook study released in June last year, showed that of the 20 million children on Facebook who actively used the social networking site in the past year, 7.5 million—or more than one-third—were younger than 13 and not supposed to be able to use the site.

“Among young users, more than 5 million were 10 and under, and their accounts were largely unsupervised by their parents,” the report revealed.

It also revealed that one million children on Facebook were harassed, threatened, or subjected to other forms of cyber-bullying in the past year.

So what’s happening with our kids? Are they all accessing Facebook in secret? Or are we simply letting them do it – despite government and even Facebook advice to the contrary?

Apart from the grave dangers of sexual predators and cyber-bullies for our children – we are become more vulnerable to identity theft and being slapped with a bad credit score as a result.

Identity crime is the fastest growing crime in Australia, according to the Australian Crime Commission. It was reported by former Attorney General Robert McLelland’s office last year, that identity theft affects one in six Australians in some way.

It’s time to all get a better understanding of the internet. Those who don’t apply meaningful cyber-security measures at home are putting themselves at risk of identity theft, and simply threatening the family’s good credit rating.

We cannot let our young children have free reign of the computer, regardless of how ‘tech-savvy’ they are.

Here’s what can happen to anyone, let alone children:

We can download viruses, participate in scams, release credit card details and disclose personal information and passwords to criminals which can be used to extract money or take out credit in people’s names.

This can happen through Facebook, it can happen via email, and it can happen via very legitimate looking websites.

If millions of Australian parents have been fooled, what chance do these 177,000 children under 13 have? That’s what the cyber-crooks are banking on.

Don’t know the first thing about the internet? If your child does – you need to get to know about it!

The amount of personal information that many young people have freely available for viewing on Facebook is frightening. That can be information about them, or it can also be about friends and family.

We may say it is harmless, but what’s to say fraudsters can’t sit on that information and wait until their victims come of age to commit fraud in their name? In fact, authorities say it is happening – they even have a name, it’s called ‘data warehousing’.

Superintendant Brian Hay from the Queensland Fraud Squad told Channel 7’s Sunrise Program in October last year, that criminals were targeting the personal information of our young Facebook users. and storing the personal information until they turn 18.

“We know that the crooks have been data warehousing identity information, we know that they’ve been building search engines to profile and build identities,” he told Sunrise.

Most identity theft victims have no idea they have given away personal information to fraudsters until it is too late. If identity fraud sees accounts in the victim’s name going undetected and unpaid past 60 days, the parent’s credit file can be ruined for 5-7 years due to defaults.

It need not be major fraud to be a massive blow to the identity theft victim – leading to a bad credit score. Unpaid accounts for as little as $100 can lead to a bad credit score and have the same impact on getting a loan. So any misuse of someone’s credit file can be extremely significant.

For parents who want to educate themselves about the risks of cyber-crime, the Government has put together the CyberSmart website, encouraging parents and kids to be aware of the dangers the internet may pose for children. A Cyber Smart fact-sheet for this age group recommends the close monitoring of all children’s internet use.

And importantly, if young people of any age are on Facebook, educate them and yourself about what that could mean for them and for you.

If people suspect identity theft has affected their credit file, they can contact MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs www.mycra.com.au or call tollfree on 1300 667 218 for help restoring their good name and clearing their bad credit score following identity theft.

Image: Clare Bloomfield / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image: Ambro/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

06/03/2012
Safer Internet Day February 7 2012: be cyber-smart for a future clear credit file

How to be cybersmart – that’s an important topic. On February 7, Australians have the opportunity to raise awareness as to how children and parents alike can be smart on the internet. This is essential for many reasons, one of which is to preserve our personal information, our financial identities and our clear credit file. Cyber-smart are hosting ‘Safer Internet Day’ with this year’s theme, ‘connecting generations and educating each other’, focusing on promoting a dialogue on online safety amongst all generations.

By Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of MyCRA Credit Repairs and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

Cybersmart’s key messages for schools, libraries and families this Safer Internet Day are:
•Talk about online safety—with all members of your family and school community
•Protect Your Privacy—check your privacy settings and update your software
•Educate yourself about the online world—check out the Cybersmart resources.

How can a young person’s clear credit file be put at risk from their internet use?

Our young people need to be cyber-smart and also, young people need to be credit-savvy to get along in this modern world.

One issue we wish to highlight to help young people stay smart online is for them to be aware of the ways in which they can be putting their clear credit file at risk every time they post information publicly on the internet, even before they are credit-active.

It’s unfortunate that teenagers in Australia today are not immune to identity fraud. Even though they are not yet 18, the personal information that is made public today could be used against them in the future.

Many teenagers do not know the risks of having a public ‘profile’ on sites like Facebook and Twitter, but fraudsters do. With the volume of personal information that is publicly available about our young people on social network sites, what’s to say fraudsters can’t pull that information and use it to build a profile that could allow them to create a fake identity?

A young person who becomes the vicitm of identity theft could have their clear credit file ruined for five years. They may not even get a chance to get a mobile phone or take out a credit card themselves.

Late last year, the Australian Federal Police’s national co-ordinator of identity security strike team, Ben McQuillan spoke about the dangers of identity crime at a forum on money laundering and terrorism.

He warned forum listeners about the new trend of ‘data warehousing’ which involves storing data for a time, making it harder for a victim or bank to trace where and when the data was stolen.

”If people know your full name, your date of birth, where you went to school and other lifestyle issues, and they were to warehouse that data, there is a prospect that could then be used to take out loans or credit cards or to create a bank account that could then be used to launder money,” Mr McQuillan told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Identity theft is not only about the initial loss of monies, but if the fraud amounts to credit accounts in the young victim’s name going undetected and unpaid past 60 days, creditors will issue defaults. It need not be major fraud to have a detrimental effect to the young person’s clear credit file. Credit file defaults for as little as $100 can stop someone from being able to obtain credit. So any misuse of someone’s credit file can be extremely significant.

Repairing bad credit, even following identity theft is not easy. The onus is on the victim to prove to creditors they didn’t initiate the credit. The fact that the perpetrator is long gone and the actual act of identity theft happened years earlier will only add to the difficulty for the young person in recovering their clear credit file.

Experts recommend parents and young people continue to update their skills on how to be cyber-smart.

The government’s ‘stay smart online’ website offers some top tips about using the internet which can be discussed with young people at home and school:

Top tips

Make sure your computer is secure—follow the advice in the Secure your computer section of this [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][stay smart online] website.

Set strong passwords, particularly for important online accounts and change them regularly—consider making a diary entry to remind yourself.

Stop and think before you share any personal or financial information—about you, your friends or family. Don’t disclose identity information (drivers licence, Medicare No, birth date, address) through email or online unless you have initiated the contact and you know the other person involved.

Don’t give your email address out without needing to. Think about why you are providing it, what the benefit is for you and whether it will mean you are sent emails you don’t want.

Be very suspicious of emails from people you don’t know, particularly if they promise you money, good health or a solution to all your problems. The same applies for websites. Remember, anything that looks too good to be true usually is.

Limit the amount and type of identity information you post on social networking sites. Don’t put sensitive, private or confidential information on your public profile.

When shopping online use a secure payment method such as PayPal, BPay, or your credit card. Avoid money transfers and direct debit, as these can be open to abuse. Never send your bank or credit card details via email.

When using a public computer, don’t submit or access any sensitive information online. Public computers may have a keystroke logger installed which can capture your password, credit card number and bank details.

We encourage anyone who is interested in protecting their identity and their clear credit file whilst online to visit the stay smart online website regularly, and if people have children, the Cybersmart website is essential reading for both the young person and parent.

Get involved in the Safer Internet Day, and help educate someone you know about online safety.

If you require further information about maintaining a clear credit file or repairing bad credit, visit our main site www.mycra.com.au or call us tollfree on 1300 667 218.

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02/02/2012