Identity theft

What happened

• Sam’s personal information was exposed in a data breach, including his name, date of birth, address, and contact information.
•  At first, everything seemed normal.
• Weeks later, a fraudster used the information to pretend to be Sam and contacted his super fund.
• The fraudster passed the identity checks, updated the contact details on the account and requested access changes.

What happened next

• After gaining access to the account, the fraudsters submitted a withdrawal request.
• Account notifications were redirected to contact details controlled by the fraudster.
• Sam only discovered the fraud when he checked his account and noticed a large drop in his account.

How to protect yourself

• Act quickly if your information’s involved in a data breach.
• Change the passwords for your email and financial accounts.
• Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Check your super or pension account regularly.
• Contact your provider if you stop getting important account communication.
• Ask about extra security options that may be available on your account.