MyCRA Specialist Credit Repair Lawyers

Tag: Identity Theft

Identity theft danger – PlayStation account information hacked worldwide

PlayStation users should contact their banks immediately.

Sony Australia has confirmed today that the personal information of all PlayStation Network account holders worldwide has fallen into the wrong hands.

All users are now at grave risk of identity theft with the hackers having access to all names, addresses, email addresses, birthdates, usernames, passwords, logins, security questions and more. The NSW Police fraud squad says this is enough information for the hackers to even take out loans on the vicitms’ behalf.

Detective Superintendant Col Dyson from the NSW Police fraud squad spoke with Brisbane Times reporter Asher Moses about the scandal. See the full story http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/digital-life/games/playstation-hacking-scandal-police-chief-says-contact-your-bank-now-20110427-1dvts.html.

Det. Sup. Dyson says those who obtained the personal information could use it to commit identity crimes.

“Personal or financial information is a valuable commodity and generally these days we find organised groups harvesting information and then selling it to other groups to use” he says.

Affected Australians are advised to consider cancelling their credit cards or at the very least call their banks to inform them that their cards may have been compromised. People should also change their passwords if they use their same PlayStation Network password for other services.

This scandal personally affects me and my family as we are one of those 77 million global users who are potentially at risk.

What worries me as much as this breach having occurred, is the length of time it has taken Sony to inform its customers. The breach occurred as early as possibly April 17. This means the hackers have had a whole week to use our information or on-sell it to professional fraudsters before we (the public) could do anything about it.

In Australia, we do not have mandatory notification laws for when data breaches occur. We are not ‘covered’ for when these instances happen and there is no obligation for companies to inform us when our personal information has been compromised.

The Federal Government must realise that Australians cannot escape being part of a global marketplace, and as such our government has an obligation to protect us from possible identity theft in that marketplace.

The Australian Crime Commission points to identity theft as being the ‘fastest growing crime in Australia’. http://www.crimecommission.gov.au/media/faq/financial_crime.htm.

It certainly feels that way on days like this.

There is more our government can do and there’s more we as a nation can do to ensure we don’t fall behind when it comes to personal information security. This includes everyone getting educated on how identity crime can potentially affect us.

Identity theft can hit twice – once when we are first scammed, then secondly when our credit files are damaged. When someone steals our identity it can often mean a series of defaults on our credit files. Defaults can ruin a credit rating for up to 5 years – so essentially we pay for 5 years for being victims of identity theft unless we go about having our credit files repaired after the damage has occurred.

Recently we worked with the Federal Police to help repair the credit file of an identity theft victim. Basically the victim was unable to obtain credit at all with those defaults on her file – even though she was not the cause of them. We eventually got the defaults removed for her, but it was a difficult process and one she said she would have found almost impossible to do on her own.

So as a PlayStation user, and realising how deep this could go, be on the lookout for scams. Be wary of any strange calls, any emails asking for confirmation of personal details and credit card details and do contact your bank immediately.

Visit www.mycra.com.au for more information on identity theft and credit files and how we can protect ourselves.

http://mycra.com.au/blog/2011/03/identity-theft-the-ticking-time-bomb-in-australia/

Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

27/04/2011
Crime storm blows in after Cyclone Yasi

VICTIMS of CYCLONE YASI are urged to take real and important measures to protect their identities from thieves in the aftermath of the cyclone’s devastation to homes and businesses.

With homes in absolute ruin and thousands of people still displaced, there is a danger of victims being hit again by identity thieves.

These fraudsters could pose as insurance people or attempt to remove personal information from homes and businesses while they are vacant and in disarray, according to credit rating repair company MY CRA’s Director GRAHAM DOESSEL.

“Victims should not be preyed upon again by criminals, but the fact is they are prime targets for identity thieves” Mr DOESSEL says.

This warning follows the deployment of 35 extra police to NORTH QUEENSLAND following the arrest of six looters in TOWNSVILLE.

The state’s disaster co-ordinator, IAN STEWART, says there had been 11 reports of looting since CYCLONE YASI hit north and far north QUEENSLAND, including an “opportunistic” break and enter at a pharmacy in CAIRNS during the height of the storm.

“It really is a disgrace that people would even consider doing this sort of thing at a time when the trauma being suffered by our community is so great,” he said.

The SOUTH-EAST QUEENSLAND floods produced scammers who tricked victims in to giving their bank details to people claiming they would help them obtain emergency funds. Scammers also claimed to be tradesmen offering to repair flood damage – they requested payment in advance before disappearing.

MR DOESSEL says cyclone victims may not only be targets for this type of crime, but particularly for other types of looting where thieves obtain personal information from vacant homes and use that information to steal someone’s identity or to claim compensation in their name.

“People could be at great risk of identity theft, due to their homes being vacant and possibly unsecured for significant parts of the day and night” he says.

He suggests if displaced victims are unable to secure important documents in their homes at present and are able to retrieve them and store them in a safe and secure place they should do so.

“Documents like marriage, birth and death certificates, past tax returns and even utility bills could all be stolen and used to appropriate someone’s identity” Mr DOESSEL says.

The AUSTRALIAN CRIME COMMISSION now sites identity theft as the “fastest growing crime in AUSTRALIA.”

Compromised financial information can be used directly to attempt to access the victim’s accounts, or be used to obtain credit cards/ loans in the victims’ name.

Fraudsters have even been known to send SMS and emails from a compromised identity to victims’ friends and associates, asking for money on the victims’ behalf. This often involves a story in regards to the victim being stranded somewhere and requiring the funds urgently.

Mr DOESSEL says his office has experienced an increase in credit rating repair due to identity theft – from card skimming through to professional gangs who ferret for personal information at a person’s home or in their rubbish bin.

“Identity crime hits twice. People are not only ripped off at the time, but their credit rating is destroyed generally for 5 years once defaults are listed on the victim’s credit file. This is regardless of how the defaults got there. A default on a person’s credit file is usually enough for an automatic decline on a home loan” he says.

The nature of credit ratings in AUSTRALIA, is once a default has been listed on a person’s file – it is very difficult to have it removed. Creditors will generally only mark the listing as paid.

“Effectively people are robbed of their financial future. The best course of action for most people fighting a default that is unjust, incorrect or just simply shouldn’t be there is to contact a reputable credit file repairer. “

“A credit rating repairer is generally more aware of the appropriate legislation, experienced at researching case by case and presenting that information in the most effective manner to ensure the best possible chance of having the default removed – as it rightly should be” Mr DOESSEL says.

People can visit the MY CRA website for more information on identity theft – what to look for, tips on preventing it and what to do if people have been scammed or their identity stolen.

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LINKS

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/police-head-north-to-crack-down-on-theft/story-e6frg6nf-1226000442845

http://www.crimecommission.gov.au/media/faq/financial_crime.htm

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/vultures-descend-on-victims-with-scams-20110116-19sm0.html

Please contact:

Graham Doessel       http://www.mycra.com.au/

Ph: 07 3124 7133

246 Stafford Road, STAFFORD QLD.

About MyCRA.com.au

MyCRA.com.au is 100% Australian owned and operated and we are based in Stafford, a northern suburb of Brisbane in Qld.

My CRA was developed for the sole purpose of giving clients access and ability to work with their Credit File.   This is in order to give them the best chance of getting approval, getting a lower interest rate or just to reduce the upfront fees that can be associated with obtaining credit. My CRA are able to help you get a copy of your credit file and from that determine how we can help repair a credit file.

We have more than 15 years combined experience in working with and helping clients with their credit files. We are the fastest known credit rating repair agency in Australia. We can often remove judgements in as little as 3 days.

As Director I [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”][GRAHAM DOESSEL] previously owned a very successful mortgage brokerage company “Mortgage Now” before establishing My CRA because I saw a great need in the industry for credit repair.

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12/03/2011
Identity Theft the ticking time bomb in Australia

SAFETY of personal information needs to be taken more seriously in this country, to avoid Australian identity theft statistics rising to the percentages of those in the UNITED STATES, GRAHAM DOESSEL CEO of credit rating repair company MY CRA warns.

“Identity theft is the curse of the 21st Century and that is becoming more evident in our industry of credit rating repair. There are more and more people needing help with repairing their credit file due to having their identity misrepresented in some way.”

“With exposure of our personal information greater than ever before, opportunities for fraud are higher than ever” he says.

This follows a recent investigation into VODAFONE for allegations of possible breaches of privacy by having customer information available on a publically accessible internet site.

This investigation conducted by the Privacy Commissioner found the allegations were unsubstantiated, but his report, released 16 February did illustrate other areas of concern at VODAFONE in relation to privacy.

“Vodafone did not have appropriate security measures in place to protect customer’s personal information at the time. Consequently Vodafone was in breach of their obligations under the Privacy Act. I was particularly concerned by Vodafone’s use of shared logins and passwords for staff and the broad range of detailed personal information available to them.” Privacy Commissioner TIMOTHY PILGRIM says.

Vodafone agreed to review its IT security, and all appropriate staff including employees in retail stores and dealerships will be issued with individual login IDs and passwords.

Mr Pilgrim said that this case should serve as a reminder to all businesses using customer management systems to ensure that they have robust privacy protections built in.

The latest AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS data from a Personal Fraud Survey conducted in 2007 shows over 800,000 Australians were victims of at least one incident of personal fraud in the 12 months prior to interview, with over half of these victims incurring a financial loss.

Research in 2009 conducted by Galaxy Research for VEDA ADVANTAGE showed 4.4 million Australians were affected in some way by identity theft, compared to 3.8 million in the previous year.

The AUSTRALIAN CRIME COMMISSION now sites identity theft as the “fastest growing crime in AUSTRALIA.”

The A.C.C. says compromised financial information can be used directly to attempt to access someone’s accounts, or be used to obtain credit cards, loans or any other credit in the victims’ name.

Fraudsters have even been known to send SMS and emails from a compromised identity to victims’ friends and associates, asking for money on the victims’ behalf. This often involves a story in regards to the victim being stranded somewhere and requiring the funds urgently.

Current U.S. statistics point to 8.1 million people being victimized in 2010, according to a report by JAVELIN STRATEGY AND RESEARCH. Although that’s still a huge number, it’s 3 million fewer victims than in 2009.

So why have the U.S. statistics begun to improve? JAVELIN sites the top reason for the decrease is due to a significant drop in data breaches, or situations in which batches of personal information have become vulnerable to identity thieves.

The number of breaches last year was down by almost one-third, to 407 incidents, or 26 million records exposed, according to the DataLossDB project. Again, still a huge number, but down – from 604 breaches, or 221 million records exposed, in 2009.

“We definitely see evidence that the banks and other institutions are taking stronger precautions to prevent data breaches. Data breaches are a big deal. You are eight times more likely to be a victim of fraud if you get a data-breach notice.” James Van Dyke, president and founder of Javelin says.

He also sites consumer-education efforts as possibly another factor.

Mr DOESSEL says this demonstrates the importance of vigilance in the war against identity theft.

“It is so important for Australians to educate themselves on how to keep their information secure, and to demand that any information they are required to give over to any person or company be treated with the utmost privacy” Mr DOESSEL says.

“Our message at MyCRA to someone who has found themselves a victim of identity theft is two-fold. Firstly don’t be embarrassed to report it to police – it is only through identity theft being reported that data gets collected and appropriate preventative measures eventually get put in place.”

“Secondly don’t put up with the damage it causes to your credit file and to your life, get in touch with a reputable credit rating repairer who can help you to clear your credit file and restore the financial freedom you rightly deserve” he says.

Visit www.mycra.com.au for more information on identity theft.

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LINKS

PRIVACY COMMISSIONER’S STATEMENT:

http://www.oaic.gov.au/news/media_release_vodafone_omi.html

VEDA ADVANTAGE:

http://www.vedaadvantage.com/news-and-media/article.dot?id=505933

AUSTRALIAN BUREAU OF STATISTICS:

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article13012009%E2%80%9310?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2009%9610&num=&view

A.C.C. IDENTITY CRIME STATEMENT:

http://www.crimecommission.gov.au/media/faq/financial_crime.htm

U.S. STATISTICS:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/09/AR2011020906064.html

12/03/2011
NATIONAL CONSUMER FRAUD WEEK – SCAMS: IT’S PERSONAL

This week has been National Consumer Fraud week, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have themed this year as ‘Scams: It’s Personal’.

“While the overall financial cost of scams is high, we should not overlook the personal toll experienced by individuals who fall victim to these crimes.” Deputy Chairman of ACCC Peter Kell said.

As anyone who has ever been a victim of identity theft or scams of any form will tell you – the cost is huge both emotionally and financially. And it is damn personal.

Once some innocent person has taken the bait, fraudsters have the opportunity to financially ruin their victims.

In my line of work I deal every day with people who have defaults on their credit file. Defaults remain on someone’s file for 5 years unless they are removed due to the help of a credit file repairer.

Identity theft and scam victims have no easier time having the defaults removed from their file. They still have to fight tooth and nail to prove themselves, and still may only have the defaults marked as ‘paid’.

MyCRA works hard every day to help people in these situations get their finances and their lives back on track after they have been victims of fraud by helping to get those defaults removed.

However, prevention is better than the cure.

We recommend consumers go to the ACCC website http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/815401

Sign up to scam WATCH which has a host of relevant information, including details of current scams in AUSTRALIA. Read the ACCC’s book The little black book of scams which highlights the latest scams and how to go about protecting yourself.

Be educated about scams in your every day dealings both on and off-line and help educate your family and friends.

If you have been scammed – don’t be embarrassed– report it straight away.

Consider yourself fighting if not for yourself but for the next person they may not scam because you have blown the whistle.

Stay safe everyone!

10/03/2011
Privacy Commissioner gets tough on Vodafone

An investigation into possible breaches of privacy by Vodafone reveals the privacy measures that are currently in place there are inadequate to ensure the security of its customers and could result in identity theft.

Recently I commented on an investigation underway by the Privacy Commissioner into allegations that Vodafone’s customer information was available on an internet site (MyCRA Blog January 10, 2010).

Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim has just released his findings and below are his statements:

“In the course of my investigation I did not find any evidence that substantiated the claim that Vodafone customers’ personal information was available on a publically accessible website. However, in my view, Vodafone did not have appropriate security measures in place to protect customer’s personal information at the time. Consequently Vodafone was in breach of their obligations under the Privacy Act,”

“I was particularly concerned by Vodafone’s use of shared logins and passwords for staff and the broad range of detailed personal information available to them.”

As part of an undertaking given to the Privacy Commissioner, Vodafone agreed to review its IT security, and all appropriate staff including employees in retail stores and dealerships will be issued with individual login IDs and passwords.

“I am pleased that on being made aware of the allegations Vodafone acted promptly to put in additional security measures to limit access to the personal information it holds. While I welcome the steps that were taken I have also asked Vodafone to report back to me on the progress of the review and implementation of increased security measures,” Mr Pilgrim said.

Mr Pilgrim said that this case should serve as a reminder to all businesses using customer management systems to ensure that they have robust privacy protections built in.

“All businesses must take the privacy of their customers seriously. Systems should be up to date and secure and staff should only have access to the information that is necessary for their work. To comply with the Privacy Act and retain the trust and loyalty of their customers, I urge businesses to review their data security practices to prevent the likelihood of a privacy breach occurring which could have the potential to lead to identity theft or fraud,” Mr Pilgrim warned

Security of your personal information should be taken very seriously.
The AUSTRALIAN CRIME COMMISSION now sites identity theft as the “fastest growing crime in AUSTRALIA.”
Compromised financial information can be used directly to attempt to access the victim’s accounts, or be used to obtain credit cards/ loans in the victims’ name.
Fraudsters have even been known to send SMS and emails from a compromised identity to victims’ friends and associates, asking for money on the victims’ behalf. This often involves a story in regards to the victim being stranded somewhere and requiring the funds urgently.
This is not to say that any Vodafone staff would be dishonest enough to misuse the information they had available to them, but it is good to know the new system they will be implementing will prevent this possibility.
Identity theft can catch anyone out and often times it is someone you know who has used credit in your name. For lack of reportage, we may not know the real scale of this crime.

Our message at MyCRA to someone who has found themselves victims of identity theft is firstly don’t be embarrassed to report it to police – it is only through identity theft being reported that data gets collected and appropriate preventative measures eventually get put in place.

Secondly don’t put up with the damage it causes to your credit file and to your life.

Get in touch with us at MyCRA and see how we can help you get your financial freedom back again.
Visit our site for more information on identity theft and how to prevent it happening to you.

www.mycra.com.au

LINKS
PRIVACY COMMISSIONER’S STATEMENT:
http://www.oaic.gov.au/news/media_release_vodafone_omi.html
ACC IDENTITY CRIME STATEMENT:
http://www.crimecommission.gov.au/media/faq/financial_crime.htm

25/02/2011
Identity Theft – How to avoid it – What to look for – What to do…
Identity theft – how to avoid it; what to look for; what to do

A 2007 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey shows over 500,000 people in Australia have been victims of identity fraud, with the majority coming from credit or bank card fraud.

Not only does identity theft cause financial hardship at the time, but can amount to a great number of defaults on your credit record. Often by the time the Police become involved, you may have credit applications, possibly defaults, mortgages, and mobile phones already on your file incorrectly.

The culprits can range from scammers working overseas to local gangs. It can also be someone you know. It’s important to be vigilant with keeping your personal information secure. Here are some things to be aware of.

The main ways your identity can be stolen:

Stealing your wallet or purse. From there thieves may be able to gain your address, credit card details, bank details, drivers licence and more.

Forwarding your mail – Offenders can have your mail redirected to another address, where they will probably receive bank statements, phone bills, rates notices, or car registration information that they can use to steal your identity.

Card skimming on ATMs – where thieves set up a machine which skims your card’s details when you use the ATM. There may also be a separate camera installed to record you entering your PIN number. Or dodgy shops and restaurants have a separate ‘skimmer’ which they zip your card through, which reads your personal information and card details.

Online accessing of your personal information – this can be via social networking sites, where people often post information on birth dates, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. The internet can also be used to access credit card and bank details by hackers. Sometimes they use a combination of all in order to gather enough information to steal your identity.

Dumpster diving – Organised gangs can go through your rubbish looking for old rates notices, bank correspondence, phone bills, any documents that the organisation can then use to send some one to get a copy of a marriage certificate, a copy of your birth certificate, then a ‘replacement’ copy of your driver’s licence. Once this is accomplished they can go as far as opening bank accounts or buying properties – all in your name.

Phishing scams –You receive an e-mail from your bank or trusted company, asking you for information. It looks real, but it’s designed to fool you into handing over important information.

Fraud ‘alerts‘ – Scammers pretend to be from your bank or similar place and contact you about possible fraud to your account – tricking you into handing over your information so they can rectify the problem.

Career Advertising – Scammers post fake job applications and then steal the personal information you provide to them.

The signs of identity fraud:

-Suspicious entries on your credit card statements, bank statements or statements for accounts you were not aware of holding.

-Money missing from your bank account/s

-Missing mail – eg not receiving mail from your bank, Centrelink etc.

-Credit refused somewhere. If you feel there is no reason for the credit refusal, take steps to get a report on your credit rating to find out where the default originated.

-Mail about credit applications you have not taken out yourself

-Phone calls or emails from ‘banks’ asking for your account details to be verified

What you can do to protect yourself from identity theft:

From this day forward, make sure your personal details are guarded very closely.

Buy a shredder for home and ‘cross shred’ every piece of personally identifiable information that is no longer required. Never ever just throw away a bank statement or credit card statement.

Sign up to ‘My Veda Alert’ from credit reporting agency Veda Advantage to receive email alerts whenever a change to your credit file takes place for 12 months. You also get a free copy of your credit file dispatched within one working day. Check all entries on your credit rating, and make sure each entry is valid and you have not already become a victim.

Be protective of your cards. Check the ATM before you use it for anything that looks out of the ordinary – particularly strange looking boxes attached to it. If you are unsure, use another ATM and report your suspicions to the bank.

Also make it a habit to watch when someone swipes your credit card at a shop or restaurant. This should only be done once from the one machine.

Make online safety paramount. Some recommendations from the government’s Stay Smart Online website are:
- Install security software and update it regularly.
- Turn on automatic updates so all your software receives the latest fixes
- Set a strong password and change it at least twice a year
- Stop and think before you click on links or attachments
- Stop and think before you share any personal or financial information – about you, your friends or family
- Know what your children are doing online – make sure they know how to stay safe and encourage them to report anything suspicious.
Always check your credit card statements and bank statements when they arrive and make sure every entry is yours.

Chase up missing mail. Be suspicious if you don’t receive bank statements or bills and contact the companies if it seems they have missed sending you statements for any reason. It may not be a case of ‘no news is good news’.

Be wary when strangers call. Be reluctant to give out personal information to anyone who calls or emails claiming to be from a bank or similar institution. If in doubt hang up and verify the identity of the caller with the main phone number you have on file.

The Privacy Commissioner’s website has a great online questionnaire. This gives you an assessment of how vulnerable you may be to identity fraud. http://www.privacyawarenessweek.org/id_theft_tool/index.html

What to do if you find yourself a victim of identity fraud:

1. Contact your local Police immediately.

2. Contact your banks and any other relevant institution such as Medicare, Department of Transport, Department stores, anywhere where thieves might request ‘replacement’ copies of cards.

3. Gather evidence of the identity fraud, and make copies of any discrepancies on your statements for the relevant authorities.

4. Contact a reputable credit repairer such as My CRA, who will order a copy of your credit rating report, be able to check each entry on your file and remove the defaults completely from your file – which shouldn’t have been there in the first place. This could save you money on lawyers and months of your time talking to creditors with the process taking from 3-21 working days (average). We have a 97.1% success rate of removing defaults if we take on the case.

Read more on identity theft:

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article13012009%E2%80%9310?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2009%9610&num=&view

http://www.ag.gov.au/identitysecurity

http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/identitytheft

http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au

http://www.vedaadvantage.com/personal/mcf/my-credit-file.dot
29/10/2010