If you think you have provided your account details, passport, tax file number, licence, Medicare or other personal identification details to a scammer, contact your bank, financial institution, or other relevant agencies immediately.
Your phone number is an easy access point for scammers and identity thieves. Once scammers know your number, they can target you with phishing texts and calls, or trick you into downloading malware and giving up personal information.
If scammers have access to your phone number, they could potentially use it to hack into your online accounts — including your email, social media, and even your bank account.
Scammers are persistent. If they know your name, address, and phone number, they can use this as a launching point to find out more about you online and on public databases. For example, they could research your social media profiles or see if you're included in popular data broker lists.
In short, the answer is “no.” Which is a good thing, as your name and address are in fact part of the public record. Anyone can get a hold of them. However, because they are public information, they are still tools that identity thieves can use.
Inform your bank, building society and credit card company of any unusual transactions on your statement. Request a copy of your credit file to check for any suspicious credit applications. Report the theft of personal documents and suspicious credit applications to the police and ask for a crime reference number.
One of the major risks of scammers having your email address is that they'll use it to hack into your other online accounts. With your email address, they can request password resets, try entering your other passwords that have been leaked online, and even break into your email account.
It's also possible hackers could use your email account to gain access to your bank account or credit card information, draining funds from an account, or racking up charges. They might even use your email and password to sign up for online sites and services, sticking you with monthly fees in the process.
Steal your identity and lock you out of your accounts
Access to your email can often be enough for hackers to commit all different types of identity theft. Remember, your email is like your online ID. Scammers can use it to sign you up for almost anything. Or, they can fake your online persona for other reasons.
What they want are account numbers, passwords, Social Security numbers, and other confidential information that they can use to loot your checking account or run up bills on your credit cards. Identity thieves can take out loans or obtain credit cards and even driver's licenses in your name.
Identity theft occurs when someone gets or steals your personal information. The information can then be used to open credit accounts in your name or receive benefits, such as employment, insurance or housing. Identity theft may impact your credit reports and credit scores.
With your personal information, scammers can: access and drain your bank account. open new bank accounts in your name and take out loans or lines of credit. take out phone plans and other contracts.
The easiest way to become a victim of a bank scam is to share your banking info — e.g., account numbers, PIN codes, social security number — with someone you don't know well and trust. If someone asks for sensitive banking details, proceed with caution.
Checking your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion can help pinpoint the problem. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allows U.S. consumers to get a free credit report every 12 months.
Contact your police department, report the crime and obtain a police report. Decide whether you want to place a security freeze on your credit report.
Once they have your personal information (such as your ID, Social security number, etc.), they can steal your identity and access your bank account. If you're on the job hunt, it's a good idea to set up fraud and credit monitoring to make sure no one is using your credentials for the wrong reasons.
Physical Theft: examples of this would be dumpster diving, mail theft, skimming, change of address, reshipping, government records, identity consolidation. Technology-Based: examples of this are phishing, pharming, DNS Cache Poisoning, wardriving, spyware, malware and viruses.
Signs of identity theft
Unusual bills or charges that you don't recognise appear on your bank statement. Mail that you're expecting doesn't arrive. You get calls or texts about products and services you've never used.
Step 1: Change your passwords
This is important because hackers are looking for any point of entry into a larger network, and may gain access through a weak password. On accounts or devices that contain sensitive information, make sure your password is strong, unique—and not easily guessable.
Changing your passwords may not mitigate all the damage from malware or a successful phishing expedition. Still, it can keep future attackers or scammers from accessing your accounts or impersonating you further.