What to do if your data has been breached
In today’s digital age, data breaches are becoming far more common; in the past couple of years or so, big names across a variety of sectors, such as Optus, Latitude, Medibank, and even government bodies; just last month, Australia’s largest smoke alarm installation and service provider, Smoke Alarm Solutions was a victim. According to reports, the publicly exposed files contained customer information, including detailed invoices, records of inspections, estimates, compliance reports, electrical safety inspections, service quotes, and service reports.
The data breach figures start to get mind-boggling; the Optus breach affected 9.8 million customers, with Names, Birth dates, Addresses, Phone numbers, Passport information, Driver’s license numbers, Government ID numbers, Medical records & Medicare card ID numbers all being compromised.
According to research from VPN outfit Surfshark, 1.8 million Australian account details have been leaked in just the first three months of 2024 – a 388 per cent increase over the previous quarter.
Putting the figures in context, Australia had nine times more breaches than neighbouring New Zealand, which experienced 197,000 account compromises, but three times less than the United Kingdom, which saw 5.7 million accounts breached in the same period.
In the case of Smoke Alarm Solutions, the publicly exposed files contained customer information, included 355,384 documents marked as invoices, dating from 2021 to 2024..
Invoice scams
In the case of Smoke Alarm Solutions, scammers were possibly looking to send fake invoices with changed payment details, so your money ends up with the scammer.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) urges you to check payment details directly with businesses before paying an email invoice. With 2023 seeing $16.2 million lost in payment redirection scams, this message is as important as ever.
Top tips to avoid scams
- STOP – Don’t rush to act. Scammers will create a sense of urgency.
- THINK – Ask yourself if you really know who you are communicating with? Scammers can impersonate others and lie about who they are – especially online.
- PROTECT – Act quickly if something feels wrong. If you have shared financial information or transferred money, contact your bank immediately. Help others by reporting to Scamwatch
Visit the government moneysmart website for tips to how to spot the signs of a scam.
Monitor for data breaches
You may hear about a data breach directly from an affected organisation, or read about a breach online or in the news. You might also learn about data breaches through the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ASD’s ACSC’s) Alert Service.
Details of publicly known breaches may also be available at Have I Been Pwned. Input your email address or phone number to find out if you have been implicated in a known breach.
Take these key steps to reduce your risk of impact from a data breach:
- Know how you’re affected
- Be aware of the scams
- Secure your accounts
- Secure you identity
- Secure your finances and money
- Check and monitor for unauthorised activity
More details about how to recover from data-breaches can be found here.
For more information about how to recognise, avoid and report scams, visit the new National Anti-Scam Centre website here. It provides up-to-date information on common scams and tips for avoiding them.
We are a family run business, and everyone who entrusts their property with us is our extended family – and like any family, we keep you safe and protected; as well as caring and managing your property, ensuring you are operating within the law, we also ensure your data is safe and securely stored.
If you’d like to know more about property management and property investment. Call us on 02 4954 8833, send us an email to mail@apnewcastle.com.au or pop into our Cardiff office for a chat to see how our property management services can help.