With all the recent panic surrounding the Optus hack, we’re all feeling hyper alert about our data security right now.
Though credit card information wasn’t the subject of this specific cyber crime, it’s understandable if you’re feeling a little uncomfortable around the safety of your personal information. In fact, with 1 in 9 Australians falling victim to personal fraud, your concern is warranted!
Even though our cultural obsession with scammers has resulted in some compelling television – if you haven’t already, check out The Dropout on Disney+ – it’s taken a serious toll on our wallets. Reporting from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) shows us that scams cost Australia roughly $2 billion dollars in 2021.
Of those $2 billion, $227 million were lost to payment redirection scams. Most frequently complained of to Scamwatch included some major card related schemes: there were 93,000 complaints of phishing scams, 21,000 reports of false billing, and 20,000 submissions of online shopping scams.
Are my credit card details safe?
Thankfully, credit card information was not a part of the information reported to be leaked during this most recent Optus hack. For information you may be concerned about, look at whether or not you need to change your licence or medicare card, and be aware of other data that may have been leaked.
In most instances where your credit card has been involved in major suspicious activity, this will be flagged by your bank….
