Protecting Against Scams and Identity Theft

You’ve worked hard for your money. Let’s keep it safe.

You deserve to feel secure and independent. This guide gives you simple steps to protect your good name and your money from scammers. You don’t need to be a computer expert — small, regular habits are the best protection there is.

Part 1: Check your credit report every three months

Think of your credit report as a health check for your name. It shows whether anyone has been using your details to borrow money or open accounts without you knowing. Checking it regularly is the best way to catch that early. It is free, and it is your right.

How to get your free credit report

In Australia you can get a free copy of your credit report every three months from each credit reporting body. You should never have to pay for it.

There are two: Equifax and Experian. You can request a report on their websites, or call them and ask for a paper copy to be posted to you.

You are also entitled to a free report within 90 days if you are ever refused credit. If that happens, the lender should tell you how to get it.

A simple habit: pick the first week of a season — January, April, July, October — and ask for a report then.

What to look for

Take your time and look for anything that seems strange:

• Credit applications you did not make. Every application leaves a mark on your file, even one that was refused. A lender you have never heard from is the earliest warning you get.
• Accounts or loans you did not open.
• Addresses where you have never lived.
• Versions of your name you do not use. A different spelling or an old name you never go by can mean someone has applied using your details, or that part of someone else’s file has been attached to yours.
• Defaults or court judgments you know nothing about.

If anything on the report is unfamiliar, it is worth asking about — even if it turns out to be a mistake rather than fraud. Mistakes on a credit file cause their own trouble later.

If you find a problem

First, stay calm. You have caught it early, and that is the hard part.

1. Call the credit reporting body and tell them what you have found. They have a process for correcting errors and fraud, and it does not cost you anything.
2. Call IDCARE on 1800 595 160. They are a free Australian service that helps people recover from identity theft. They will stay with you through it.
3. Write everything down. Keep a note of who you spoke to and when. It makes every later conversation easier.

Part 2: Everyday safe banking

Small habits make a big difference.

On the phone and in your inbox

Your bank will never call or email to ask for your password, your PIN, or your full account numbers. Nobody legitimate will.

If someone calls claiming to be from your bank, hang up. Then call your bank back using the number on the back of your card. Never use a number the caller gives you, and never use a number from an email or a text message.

Signs you are being set up

Be suspicious if someone:

• tells you your account has been locked or hacked
• asks you to move your money to a “safe account” — real banks never do this
• pressures you to act quickly. Rushing you is the point. It stops you thinking, and it stops you asking anyone else.

If you think it is a scam

1. Stop. Do not give any information, and do not click any links.
2. Call your bank, using the number on your card. If you have already sent money, call them straight away — banks can sometimes stop or recover a payment if they hear quickly enough. Hours matter.
3. Report it. Scamwatch takes reports at scamwatch.gov.au. If money or personal information has actually been taken, also report it at cyber.gov.au, which goes to police. Both are online, so if you would rather not do it alone, this is a job worth sharing with someone you trust. Reporting will not always get your money back, but it is how these people get stopped.

Your important contacts

Keep these near your phone, written down, where you can find them without looking anything up:

• Your bank’s fraud line — on the back of your card and on your statement
• IDCARE — 1800 595 160, for identity theft
• Scamwatch — scamwatch.gov.au, to report a scam
• 1800 ELDERHelp — 1800 353 374, for support and advice

Asking someone to help is strength, not weakness

You can ask a trusted family member or friend to sit with you while you check your credit report or call the bank. You stay in charge. They are there to look with you and make sure nothing has been missed.

Scammers rely on people being alone with the decision. Having someone to ask is one of the best protections there is.