Stolen Identity
When it comes to being a victim of crime, most of us don’t consider identity theft a major risk. We secure our homes with burglar bars and alarm systems, lock away our belongings, and take precautions when it comes to personal safety. But what are you doing to prevent your private information from being used for criminal purposes?
We’ve all heard stories about identity theft – a colleague discovering that he shares an identity number with another person, or someone being erroneously blacklisted. In what has been called the most daring case of identity theft yet, a man in San Francisco is currently being prosecuted for stealing 130 million debit and credit card numbers online in the USA over the past two years.
It always seems like something that happens to “other people”, but everyone is at risk. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes globally. In South Africa it is becoming a crime of choice, particularly among white collar criminals, as it is so easy to execute.
All countries are targeted, but evidence suggests that identity theft increases during times of economic stress. According to Costin Raiu, chief security expert at Kaspersky Lab, a developer of secure content management solutions, people are most vulnerable when they experience financial difficulty. “You will find more identity crime wherever there are unemployed people looking for a quick way to make money,” he says.
Pat Cunningham, executive director of the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS), says that identity theft has become so prevalent in South Africa because its identity book system is outdated and alterations or copies are easy to make. With technological advances, it is also easy to manufacture false documents at home to support applications for goods or services.
Shehnaz Somers, head of Personal Lines Underwriting at Santam, says that obtaining ID documents is still the most common way for criminals to steal identities in South Africa. A Cape Town magazine journalist realised that he had fallen prey to identity fraud when he experienced difficulty in renewing his passport. He was unknowingly sharing his identity with another man for ten years, apparently a resident from another African country living in South Africa. “I can’t describe how shocked I was,” he says. It took just short of 12 months to set right his stolen identity.
No criminal offence had been committed in his name, but others aren’t so lucky. Victims suffer serious trauma and some are wrongly arrested and struggle to remove bad debt reports from official records and credit bureaus. You may even find yourself married to someone you’ve never met.
South Africans shouldn’t be afraid, though, experts say. “Be aware that somebody out there will use your identity, if you give them a chance. Don’t give them that chance,” Cunningham says.
Peter Dempsey, deputy CEO of the Association for Savings and Investment South Africa (ASISA), says criminals are becoming more sophisticated. A pay slip or bank statement can provide an experienced identity thief with enough information to perpetrate fraud in your name. Regularly check pay slips and bank account statements to make sure all deductions are authorised. Suspicious deductions must be reported to the company making deductions and your bank. The SAFPS recommends that people conduct bi-annual credit profile checks. “If there is something on the report that you know nothing about, follow it up,” Cunningham says.
Be aware when using ATMs, particularly in high traffic areas such as airports and conference centres. “These are a greater risk because people with higher bank balances are likely to draw money here,” Raiu says. Before using an ATM, push all the buttons and the screen to ensure they have not been tampered with. “I once did this and the display fell backwards into the machine!” he says.
Another major trend is to steal consumer data through Internet skimming, wireless hacking and phishing. Raiu says even social networks such as Facebook are becoming easy targets for criminals. “There are estimates that the cybercrime industry makes more money than security companies selling services and technology,” he says.
Users of social networks should only accept friendship requests from people they know. “If the person can’t tell you where you met, then it is a scam,” he says. Don’t publish personal information such as your residential address and birth date.
Identity fraudsters can steal your identity from kilometres away, not to mention from another country, but if you are on guard you are less likely to become a victim.
Stay Protected
- Don’t give your personal details, credit card numbers and PIN numbers over the phone, the Internet or anywhere else.
- Don’t let anyone make copies of your ID document unnecessarily.
- Don’t shop online with your credit card unless through a reputable payment gateway. A good tip is to look for a “thawte certified” button which will verify the site as secure.
- If your ID book is stolen or lost, or if you have been a victim of impersonation, contact the SAFPS to register for its free Protective Registration service. (www.safps.org.za)
- Never let your credit card out of sight when shopping at retailers or paying at restaurants.
- You can verify your ID status on the Home Affairs website (www.dha.gov.za) to make sure you are registered as “alive” and not “deceased”.
- Ensure that your computer runs the latest security updates for all applications.
Story by Wilma den Hartigh
