MyCRA Specialist Credit Repair Lawyers

Tag: prevent identity theft

  • Stay Smart Online and Keep Your Credit File Safe

    prevent identity theftJoin MyCRA Lawyers as we support ‘Stay Smart Online Week’ running 2 – 6 June 2014. This week aims to help Australians using the internet – whether at home, the workplace or school – understand the simple steps they can take to protect their personal and financial information online.

    This year’s theme – ‘On The Go’ – reflects the importance of staying safe and secure online while using mobile devices when social networking, banking, shopping, and navigating the internet. In this post, we give you an overview of what MyCRA Lawyers will be doing to promote awareness during Stay Smart Online Week 2014, and briefly explain why we choose to partner in this week and how important staying smart online is for the safety of your credit file.

    By Graham Doessel, Non-Legal Director of MyCRA Lawyers www.mycralawyers.com.au.

    Stay Smart Online - Proud Partner LR

    The 2014 Stay Smart Online Week (formerly Cybersecurity Awareness Week) is the seventh consecutive annual event conducted by the Australian Government in partnership with industry, the community sector and all levels of government.

    A range of activities are taking place around Australia, including seminars, industry events and community activities which you can attend or participate online.

    What will MyCRA Lawyers be doing during Stay Smart Online week?

    Monday: Staying Smart Online: Why you need to subscribe to Stay Smart Online Alerts.

    Tuesday: We will be exploring the theme for this year “On The Go” and look at how you can best secure your mobile device when social networking, banking, shopping and generally on the internet, as well as the ramifications of not securing your devices.

    Wednesday: We look at how you can protect your child online – particularly when it comes to their credit file. If you are a parent, and didn’t realise your children can be vulnerable to identity theft, then you don’t want to miss this post.

    Thursday: We are holding Stay Smart Online Awareness Day in our office. The team is getting involved and wearing the Stay Smart Online colours to promote this week. We will also be putting out a series of Facebook posts around crucial online safety topics. Don’t miss out on our great safety tips for protecting yourself and your credit file. In addition, we will post in our blog about Facebook itself in more depth and take a look at the dangers of Facebook to your credit file.

    Friday: We look in more detail the reasons why online security and savviness is so important for your credit file, and feature the best tips to protect yourself in the online space to prevent credit file misuse.

    Why did MyCRA Lawyers choose to partner for Stay Smart Online Week?

    It has never been a more important time to think about protecting personal information.

    Recent statistics released from the Australian Institute of Criminology show 1 in 5 Australians surveyed had been a victim of identity theft. The survey revealed 1 in 5 Australians have had their personal information misused, and 10 per cent had experienced the misuse in the past year. The statistics are higher than similar research conducted in the United Kingdom and the United States.

    Dr Clare Sullivan, an identity crime expert and law lecturer at the University of South Australia, says people get upset about the loss of money, but that was usually temporary, and was actually the least of their worries.

    “It’s the loss of identity. Once that has been compromised it’s compromised forever. People don’t realise how important that is and it could come up in six months or a year’s time or five years’ time,’’ she told news.com.au following the release of the survey.

    It is precisely this loss of identity which can lead to an even bigger type of fraud than simple bank or credit card fraud. If a fraudster is able to garner enough personal details to get duplicate documents in your name, they not only have your identity – they have access to your credit rating as well. This means they can take out credit in your name…and if they’re well-versed in this process – it may not be evident your identity is even compromised until you go to take out credit yourself and are refused.

    Unravelling the tangled web of identity theft at this point can be at times impossible. And unlike bank or credit card fraud, there’s not always reimbursement to be found. Some victims have found they have had to cop the 5 year default on their credit file, because they don’t understand and therefore can’t prove how the identity theft occurred in the first place.

    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 1: marin/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

    Image 2: Courtesy of Stay Smart Online

  • Identity theft bust in Aussie news…and how to minimise your risk of ID theft

    A significant identity crime  saga has unfolded right here in Australia. We look at how $37.5 million was extracted from victims of credit card fraud. And we give you an idea of the important steps you can take to protect yourself and your credit file from fraud, identity theft and subsequent bad credit.

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

    Federal Police have arrested and charged a Sydney couple for their role in what Police are calling the “most significant identity crime syndicate disruption” in Australia’s history.

    A 40-year-old Ryde man and a 48-year-old Ryde woman were arrested and charged on Thursday. This brings the total arrests since October 2011 to eight from what Police are describing as a highly sophisticated identity crime syndicate.

    “Police have now seized more than 15,000 false credit cards, with an estimated potential fraud value of $37.5 million. This includes 12,000 false credit cards seized in November 2011, which was the largest singular seizure of fake credit cards in Australian history. Major manufacturing equipment has also been seized throughout the investigation.

    The arrests come as a result of an Identity Security Strike Team (ISST) investigation which began in April 2011. The investigation focused on the activities of a Sydney based crime syndicate involved in the manufacture and supply of fraudulent identity documents and credit cards.

    The ISST is comprised of members from the Australian Federal Police (AFP), New South Wales Police Force, New South Wales Roads and Maritime Services and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC),” AFP announced in a joint media release on Thursday.

    Police will allege that the couple was manufacturing fraudulent documents from their home to falsely obtain credit cards. They will appear in a Hornsby Court on October 25.

    These victims may now be facing defaults and other negative credit listings on their credit file. Thankfully, arrests have been made, names have been recovered and those people who did fall victim, may have a chance at recovering their good name.

    For those victims in similar but separate incidents, they may not be so lucky to have had their perpetrators arrested. Restoring their clean credit file in this situation can be a nightmare to say the least. First they have the debt owing, then to clear the credit listings from their credit file so they can borrow money again – they need to prove they didn’t initiate the credit in the first place.

    This can be tricky if they don’t know when or how the identity theft occurred, and don’t have a perpetrator. Some can be faced with 5 to 7 years of bad credit through no fault of their own.

    So prevention is really better than the cure. If you want to know how you might prevent this happening to you, check out the identity theft prevention tips put out by www.Savingsguide.com.au over the weekend. You never know, just one thing you do differently could see you preventing having your life turned upside down from bad credit due to identity theft.

    Prevent Identity Theft: 10 Steps

    Identity theft is an increasing risk in today’s hyper-technological world, and can have significant effects on our finances. While there are means to redress the problem, like all things, it’s better to prevent identity theft from occurring than to fix it after the fact. Here are ten ways to protect yourself, inspired by Reader’s Digest.

    #1: Cover Your Card
    It’s not being paranoid to cover your card when using it. In the days of mobile phones, it’s fairly easy to take a snap of card and use the digits later. It doesn’t take much to keep part of it covered.

    #2: Check Your Statements
    Often, an identity thief will take an initial, tiny amount out of your account to see if you’re checking it, then go in for the swoop a couple of days or weeks later. Check it once a week, and report anything you don’t recognise.

    #3: Get Bills Online
    There are protections against people seeing your bills online. Not so for people being able to nick them out of the letterbox.

    #4: Destroy Financial Items
    Recycling bins could be a treasure trove, so make sure your paper is well-shredded or, even better, good fodder for your next bonfire. Make sure your cards are seriously well cut up, and don’t chuck out half-filled loan applications without blacking out the details first.

    #5: Strange ATMs
    If the ATM looks different, or has an extra attachment on it, walk away and report it to the bank responsible.

    #6: Debit Cards
    Credit cards have fraud insurance, debit cards don’t. Be wary about where you are using the debit card, and stick to places you trust.

    #7: Consider A Photo
    Noticed that people at checkouts don’t even look at your signature? Scary isn’t it. Consider getting a credit card with your photo on it, it’s hard to miss and far harder to pass off as an identity thief.

    #8: Lock Your Mailbox
    New credit cards, debit cards and bills all come into your mailbox. It’s a simple thing to get a lock on it, and at least make it a sight harder for someone to steal the card and activate it.

    #9: Keep Smart Online
    Look for the SSL or TSSL padlocks whenever you’re entering any details, and don’t save financial data online. Quicker it may be, but far more exposed to identity theft. [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”][Ensure any financial transactions are made using a secure browser https rather than http.]

    #10: Passwords And Pins
    They’re almost impossible to remember, the plethora of pins and passwords we now need, but if you’re serious about protecting yourself from identity fraud, have several and change them often. Don’t keep your pin anywhere in your wallet, no matter how well-disguised. You can run into trouble with insurance should you have your pin close to your card and are a victim of identity theft.

    If you have run into trouble restoring your good credit rating following identity theft, then you may be a candidate for credit repair. Credit repair is about uncovering and providing evidence for instances where the Creditor has unlawfully placed a default or other adverse listing on your credit file and negotiating on your behalf for the removal of that incorrect credit listing by the Creditor. We can put our vast knowledge of industry and credit reporting law behind your case and help negotiate the removal of bad credit which shouldn’t be there. Contact a Credit Repair Advisor on 1300 667 218 to discuss your suitability.

    Image: nixxphotography/ www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • MyCRA Partners Privacy Awareness Week 2012

    MyCRA Credit Rating Repairs is proud to be a Privacy Awareness Week (PAW) Partner for 2012 which runs 29 April to 5 May.  The team at MyCRA hope we can help educate more people on Privacy Issues this week and in doing so reduce the numbers of identity theft cases in Australia. Privacy of your personal information is crucial to prevent identity theft and subsequent credit fraud. This week, through information provided by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and also through our own information, we want to help clarify how Privacy (or lack of it) can affect your credit file and promote safety of your valuable personal information.

    This post features a newsletter titled “Privacy It’s All About You” provided by the OAIC which will clarify the origins of PAW and the importance of Privacy in your business, your life and for maintaining your good credit history. Please find full newsletter below:

    Privacy: it’s all about you

    Privacy Awareness Week (29 April – 5 May) is an annual event during which the Asia Pacific Privacy Authorities join forces to remind everyone to take steps to protect their own privacy and safeguard personal information about others that they might hold.

    “Privacy is recognised in many countries, including Australia, as a human right,” says Privacy Commissioner Timothy Pilgrim. “Serious consequences can arise when someone’s privacy is breached and we all have responsibilities to look after the personal information we handle.”

    Organisations and government agencies covered by the Privacy Act must meet responsibilities when collecting, using and disclosing personal information. This includes giving sufficient notice about why personal information is being collected and how it will be used and disclosed.

    Businesses covered by the Privacy Act are subject to ten National Privacy Principles or NPPs while most Australian, ACT and Norfolk Island government agencies must comply with eleven Information Privacy Principles or IPPs.

    Quick privacy tips for business and government agencies:

    • Don’t collect personal information that is unnecessary for your business
    • If you do need to collect people’s personal information, tell them why you are doing this, what the information will be used    for and how long it will be kept
    • Make it clear who will have access to that personal information, including any third parties
    • Take steps to destroy or de-identify personal information that is no longer required, subject to other record keeping    requirements.

    What about you?

    When it comes to protecting your own information, Mr Pilgrim is urging all Australians to be increasingly more vigilant about protecting their information.

    “You really need to pay attention to what information you are sharing and how it may be used, particularly online and when using smartphones, where personal information is routinely collected and stored by any number of entities.”

    Mr Pilgrim says people tend not to think about what information they are giving away or what will happen to it, especially as they make quick transactions online.

    Know what’s going on

    When your online search history is aggregated with other information you may have shared online, a detailed picture emerges that could compromise your privacy.

    Most search engines today track and store details about your browsing habits to help guide you to the information you are seeking. But Mr Pilgrim says that many of us remain unaware of how this happens or where our information may end up.

    “Find out how your information is being used by checking the privacy policy of the search engines you use.  If you want more control, look for options that allow you to prevent aggregation and keep information you post across various accounts separate.”

    Different search engines operate in different ways.  So if you are unhappy with the way your information is being used by one provider, consider using another.

    “I’d encourage people to always use the provider that offers them most control about how their personal information is used,” Mr Pilgrim added.

    Similar issues apply to apps: when you download them, you usually agree to your personal information being collected in some way.

    “Next time you decide to download an app, take a moment to look at the terms and conditions that set out what you are signing up for, what type of information the app developer is collecting and how it will be used.”

    While these kinds of details can be buried in the fine print, Mr Pilgrim says it’s worth making the effort to know and understand what you are agreeing to so your information is not used in unexpected ways.

    “Just as in the real world, if you want to safeguard your privacy, you need to pay attention to what information you are handing over and ask companies what they are doing with it.”

    Find out more at www.privacyawarenessweek.org/oaic

    Stay tuned for more information on Privacy, your personal information and your credit file.

    If you think you may be a victim of identity theft, firstly contact Police who will assist you.

    If identity theft has affected your credit file (credit fraud) and you need help with removing negative listings such as defaults and clearouts which should not be there, it might be helpful to contact a credit rating repairer to go through your options for credit rating repair.

    Graham Doessel, Founder and CEO of My CRA Credit Rating Repairs and www.fixmybadcredit.com.au.

    Image: suphakit73 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

  • Government survey reveals our fears of identity theft

    A Governement survey on identity theft reveals 9 out of 10 Australians are concerned or very concerned about identity theft and misuse. Rightly so, considering the grave danger it poses to a victim’s financial future through destroying their good credit rating.

    The identity theft survey, details of which were released by Attorney-General Robert McLelland, was an independent survey of 1200 people conducted by Di Marzio Research.

    It also showed that 1 in 6 people have been a victim or known somebody who has been a victim of identity theft or misuse in the past six months.

    The majority of identity theft or misuse occurred over the Internet (58 per cent), or through the loss of a credit or debit card (30 per cent).  Stolen identify information was primarily used to purchase goods or services (55 per cent) or to obtain finance, credit or a loan (26 per cent).

    Current statistics from the Australian Crime Commission, points to identity theft possibly costing the Australian economy $1 billion per year. The other cost that’s not so widely reported is the expense to the many credit files that occurs as a result. People have their lives put on hold with credit rating defaults they are not responsible for, stopping them from obtaining most credit for up to five years.

    More and more of MyCRA’s clients have been through the ringer attempting to have black marks removed from their credit file due to identity theft. They are often unable to obtain even a mobile phone in their name if their credit file contains defaults and it need not be large-scale fraud to amount to a finance decline.

    This survey follows the Government’s introduction of new legislation the ‘Cybercrime Legislation Amendment Bill 2011’ into Parliament last week, which amends several current laws in order to comply with the only international treaty on cybercrime. This was an attempt to come up to speed with other countries in the fight to tackle an international wave of cyber-attacks.

    Once an account remains unpaid past 60 days, the debt may be listed by the creditor as a default on a person’s credit file. Under current Australian legislation, defaults have to remain listed on the victim’s credit file for a 5 year period.

    What is not widely known is how difficult credit repair can be – even if the individual has been the victim of identity theft. Unfortunately there is no guarantee defaults can be removed from their credit file. The victim has to provide copious amounts of documentary evidence to prove the fraud.

    How does my credit file get affected?

    It begins by fraudsters gaining access to a victim’s account details, or personal details. This then allows them to access the victim’s good credit rating.

    Often the victim is unaware their information has been stolen until they apply for credit and are flatly refused. Generally, by the time police become involved, a client may have credit applications as a minimum and possibly defaults, mortgages and mobile phones already attributed to them incorrectly.

    Once an account remains unpaid past 60 days, the debt may be listed by the creditor  Australian legislation, defaults have to remain listed on the victim’s credit file for a 5 year period.

    What is not widely known is how difficult credit repair can be – even if the individual has been the victim of identity theft. Unfortunately there is no guarantee defaults can be removed from their credit file. The onus is on the victim to prove their case and provide copious amounts of documentary evidence.

    What can I do to prevent identity theft?

    In order for people to prevent identity theft affecting their credit rating, the best defence they can take is to get educated. They should learn how their personal information can be put at risk, aiming to keep their personal information as secure as possible, both online and off. They should change passwords regularly, conduct regular virus software updates, and be wary of providing unnecessary information to companies online, just to name a few ways. As instances like the Sony PlayStation  data breach shows, people relying on other companies to do it for them can often result in vulnerability to fraud.

    People should also educate themselves on the latest scams that are going around, whilst also keeping an eye on what’s happening with their credit file, being alert to any changes which may occur.

    People can contact one or more of the major credit reporting agencies, Veda Advantage, Dun and Bradstreet and Tasmanian Collection Services (TASCOL) to request a free copy of their credit file. With Veda Advantage, they can also for a fee, sign up to Veda’s Alert system, which notifies the credit file holder of any changes which occur to their account within a 12 month period.

    If people find they are victims of identity theft, probably the best way to go about removing defaults is to enlist the help of a credit rating repairer, who can negotiate with creditors on their behalf, giving them the best possible chance of having the defaults removed completely from their credit file.

    Contact MyCRA Credit Repairs for more details.

    Image: Louisa Stokes/FreeDigitalPhotos.net