Mail Theft
Stolen mail containing bank statements, credit card offers, or personal documents can provide criminals with enough information to commit fraud.
Dumpster Diving
Discarded documents containing personal data can be retrieved and misused by identity thieves.
Change of Address Fraud
The effects of identity theft can be severe, leading to financial, legal, and emotional distress.
Consider the case of Australian Sarah Luke, who fell victim to a data breach in 2022. The first signs of trouble emerged in December when cybercriminals took control of her PayPal account in a credential stuffing attack. Over two days, they used her account to buy and sell counterfeit Adidas and NBA merchandise worth over $1 million.
To minimise your risk and help protect your identity in the digital age, follow these essential security practices:
Use Strong, Unique Passwords: Avoid using the same password across multiple accounts. Use a password manager to generate and store complex passwords.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adding an extra layer of security helps prevent unauthorised access.
Monitor Financial Statements: Regularly review bank and credit card statements for suspicious transactions.
Secure Personal Documents: Shred sensitive documents before disposing of them, and store important paperwork securely.
Beware of Phishing Scams: Avoid clicking on suspicious links or providing personal information to unknown sources.
Use a VPN on Public Wi-Fi: Encrypt your internet connection to prevent data theft.
Regularly Update Software: Keeping your devices and apps updated helps protect against vulnerabilities.
Can a comprehensive identity protection service help?
As an additional layer of protection, identity protection services such as Norton Identity Advisor Plus not only assist in recovering from identity theft but also help serve as a preventive measure.
Comprehensive identity protection, such as Norton Identity Advisor Plus, includes financial and social media monitoring to help monitor suspicious activity across your bank accounts and popular social media accounts, dark web monitoring to notify you if your personal information has been found on the dark web, as well as identity restoration support and identity theft insurance providing guidance and financial support in the case of identity theft.
If your identity is stolen, an identity restoration specialist will provide advice and support to help you resolve your identity theft issue by:
Evaluating your claim of potential identity theft to provide relevant guidance
Help guide you to resolve your identity theft issue with relevant parties, including merchants, credit card companies, financial institutions, collection agencies, government agencies or other parties and if needed make three-way mediation calls with you and relevant parties.
Accessing over 7,000 verified merchant fraud processes worldwide, and a helping hand to get your identity theft case started
Personal care from Restoration Specialists dedicated to your case from beginning to end, until it is resolved.
Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adding an extra layer of security helps prevent unauthorised access.
Monitor Financial Statements: Regularly review bank and credit card statements for suspicious transactions.
Secure Personal Documents: Shred sensitive documents before disposing of them, and store important paperwork securely.
Beware of Phishing Scams: Avoid clicking on suspicious links or providing personal information to unknown sources.
Use a VPN on Public Wi-Fi: Encrypt your internet connection to prevent data theft.
Regularly Update Software: Keeping your devices and apps updated helps protect against vulnerabilities.
Financial monitoring
Financial monitoring services can help you catch unknown transactions, which could be a sign of potential fraud. These services help track suspicious activity, flagging potential risks before they further escalate.
Cybercriminals frequently trade stolen credit card numbers, and data breaches often lead to millions of exposed records. Hackers use advanced tools to steal data, making financial monitoring a crucial line of defence against fraud.
Comprehensive identity protection, such as Norton Identity Advisor Plus, includes financial and social media monitoring to help monitor suspicious activity across your bank accounts and popular social media accounts, dark web monitoring to notify you if your personal information has been found on the dark web, as well as identity restoration support and identity theft insurance providing guidance and financial support in the case of identity theft.
Social media monitoring
Identity theft protection services often include coverage for financial losses and legal fees related to identity theft. The aforementioned Norton Identity Advisor Plus provides Australians with:
Up to $58K AUD in total identity-theft insurance coverage in your name:²
Up to $25K AUD for legal expense reimbursement
Up to $25K AUD in obligation to pay cover
Up to $3K AUD for lost income
Up to $5K AUD for miscellaneous expenses
Having a financial cushion can help mitigate the impact of identity fraud and ease the burden of recovery.