An online safety specialist has warned South Africans to stay alert as identity theft organised gangs are on the prowl.
Lourens Swanepoel, head of department of Forensic Audit Services at mobile operator Cell C said despite smart safety measures and systems corporations put in place, criminals are also getting smarter.
“Identity theft is traumatic for anybody. Your identity is who you are and if somebody takes that away, they can actually walk into a facility and apply for credit,” Swanepoel said.
He said identity theft often involves a lot of money in most cases.
“In my line of work, I have seen people lose their entire lifetime savings. There is also an element of how vulnerable one is when their privacy is invaded in that manner,” Swanepoel said.
He said the criminals were on the prowl now during the festive season as most people tend to let their guard down.
“Don’t allow the relaxed mode of the season to make you an easy target of fraudsters. Your personal information can also be used for illegal purposes”.
Two of the most popular methods crooks use remain phishing attacks, where the victim is tricked into revealing sensitive information on the internet, as well as vishing, a telephonic equivalent of phishing.
“Never tell anyone you have not personally contacted your usernames, passwords, credit card information, banking details. The 419 scam has been upskilled”.
Should you end up being a victim, Swanepoel says contacting the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (Safps).
“They are a phenomenal organisation that will guide you on what to do, and they have a user-friendly database. They are available to the general public, and once the victim has registered their identity as having been compromised, it will be flagged when the criminal walks in and try to use it. The additional protection goes a long way towards eradicating this scourge,” he said.
Tips to avoid being a victim:
1. If it’s too good to be true, it usually is. This mantra is applicable everywhere;
2. Never write your passwords down and make them unique;
3. Never click on unknown links — some of them have programs that can deploy on your computer and gain access to your passwords, banking details, etc;
4. Don’t just throw out your physical mail;
5. Lock your confidential information up;
6. Be wary when connecting through public internet services, eg. hotels, conference rooms;
7. Make sure your antivirus protection is up-to-date; and
8. Be aware.
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