Identity crime is a boom industry in Australia, with a recent Attorney-General’s report indicating that it is costing the nation upwards of $1.6 billion annually, with $900 million of that apportioned to individual identity theft. That happens to be the first stage of the process, with stolen documents utilised by organised crime gangs then costing the country up to $15 billion dollars through credit card and corporate fraud. This can be avoided with Document Shredding!
According to the Australian Federal Police website, one of the most important precautions to avoid being a victim of identity theft is to, “Shred or destroy your personal and financial papers before you throw them away.” Identity theft affects more people than ‘physical’ crime in Australia and it has longstanding repercussions.
Shred on Site is dedicated to spreading the message of the importance of shredding important personal and business paperwork. We see the effects on individuals who have had their identities stolen, often through the fault of a third party corporate identity, such as a utility supplier. Below is one individual’s shocking account of how easily identity theft can happen:
Steven’s Experience
Steven found out the hard way the importance of protecting against identity theft when he received a knock on the door from police demanding that he return a missing hire car that he knew nothing about.
A Telstra bill and other personal mail taken from the rubbish were used by the perpetrators to create an unauthorised drivers license using Steven’s details.
Finding out he was being investigated by police for stealing a car came as a huge shock but worse was still to come when he discovered that his small business was threatened by a bad credit rating.
The perpetrators that had initially hired the car went on to buy a television using hire purchase unbeknownst to Steven — walking out of the store with a television worth $3,500 after paying a minimum deposit.
When the payments were defaulted for the television, Steven’s credit rating was hit.
A phone call from a trusted supplier informed Steven that a company had contacted all his suppliers warning them not to provide credit to his business.
His bank accounts were effectively stopped from use for a short period while the fraud was investigated.
No-one was charged by police for the crimes, and Steven has been advised that the perpetrators likely moved onto another victim after about six weeks so they would not be caught.
The missing hire car was eventually found after it was abandoned.
It is difficult for Steven to estimate the cost of the fraud which caused undue stress and forced him to take time away from his business to simply sort out what had happened and provide information to police for their investigation.
Although the fraud occurred more than 12 months ago, Steven now describes himself as ‘paranoid’ about destroying personal and business documents.
Following the experiences of fraud, Steven organised ‘Shred on Site’ to destroy his old personal and business papers and was ‘relieved’ to watch the CCTV footage as the papers were shred.
Steven still finds it hard to believe that someone stole his identity and warns others to take precautions to stop it happening again.
If you wish to avoid the pain and stress of identity theft by having your confidential papers safely destroyed, talk to Shred on Site today on 1300 558 876.
