Our advice

If you think you're a victim

The first thing to do is contact the police. Then contact every financial institution you use, as well as utility companies. Get a credit check done by a credit agency and compare it with your records or your most recent credit check. You may be able to get help from Victim Support.

Staying safe

• Make a habit of running a credit check on yourself once a year. You can also request a copy of your records from loyalty schemes, banks, government departments and anyone else who is gathering information about you. Most sources recommend checking your records at the same time each year. Look for transactions you don't recognise or remember.
  
  
• Never throw out bank statements, tax statements, bills or anything else with your name, account number or customer numbers on them. Shred or burn them, or keep them filed.
  
  
• Don't have your name on the letterbox - have a "No junk mail" sign instead. A full letterbox invites people to look through it and also sends the message you're not at home. Put a lock on your letterbox if you're worried about the security of your mail.
  
  
• Be careful about giving personal details to anyone over the phone, internet or e-mail, especially if they have come to you.
  
  
• Keep personal information off your computer by storing it on CD or memory stick instead.

We say

It's ridiculous that some government organisations accept birth certificates as evidence of identity. Given the ease of getting any New Zealand birth certificate, we don't think any organisation should accept them as ID evidence.

More help

From consumer.org.nz

• Internet security suite software
• Bluetooth security
• Internet banking security
• Scams resource

Other useful resources

• Neighbourhood Support New Zealand
• New Zealand Police
• Privacy Commissioner
• Federal Trade Commission (US)
• Indentity Theft Resource Center
• Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce
• Scamwatch - NZ Ministry of Consumer Affairs

Report by Martin Craig.