> Consumer advice  > Identity theft  > If it happens to you

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It is essential that you act quickly if you find yourself a victim of identity theft. You must respond immediately to minimise the damage already caused and to limit the possibility of future problems.

If you find a transaction on your statement that you didn't make or authorise, contact the relevant financial institution (eg bank) as soon as possible. They will require you to provide details about the disputed transaction.

The financial institution will then claim a refund for the disputed transaction on your behalf from the relevant credit card scheme (eg Visa, MasterCard) according to their dispute resolution process. This process is set out in their operating rules and specifies the circumstances and timeframes in which a member of the scheme (bank) can claim a refund on your behalf. This is referred to as ‘chargeback'. The rules may vary depending on whether you are disputing a credit card purchase or an electronic transaction via an ATM or EFTPOS.

Each financial institution and credit provider will have their own processes for handling fraud. It is important that you keep a log of all conversations including dates, names and phone numbers. Confirm conversations in writing or by email. Keep copies and ask for acknowledgement of receipt of your mail.

Step 1

• Contact all your credit providers (eg bank/credit union) and inform them of the disputed transactions. Steps to limit future problems include:

• Stopping payment on lost or stolen cheques
• Arranging for change of PIN and/or password
  
• Cancelling your current credit cards and issuing you with new ones
  


Ask questions to ensure you understand the process of each organisation as they may have different requirements.


The bank or financial institution is required to report your case to the Police, as fraud is a crime. Be prepared to make a statement to the Police declaring you did not make or authorise the disputed purchases/transactions.

Step 2

• Obtain a copy of your credit record to check if someone has been using your identity to obtain credit fraudulently. Credit reporting agencies are required to supply this service free of charge if requested in writing. If a report is required urgently, it can be requested online, upon the payment of a fee. Credit reporting agencies are listed in the Yellow pages

• Check the report for any unauthorised credit applications. Contact any credit provider/s listed in the report that you did not request credit from and inform them of the fraud.

Step 3

• Contact the post office to check if your mail has been diverted.

Step 4

• Regularly request reports from the credit reporting agency to check for new credit applications.

OR

• Consider paying a credit reporting agency for a monitoring service.
  They will monitor your file for 12 months for all new information such as credit applications, overdue account listings or court judgements. You will receive an email notification (within one working day) of any change to your credit file.

Resources

Links about identity theft

Legislation for identity theft

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