Recently, Australia has been hit by several high-profile data breaches which have left us exposed to identity fraud and theft.

While victims of recent data breaches are largely taking the required steps to help protect their digital information, there is now another element to also be aware of.

This email scam sweeping the nation is preying upon unsuspecting Australians who may have had their identity stolen during one of the many reported data breaches.

The scam claims to be ‘an official notice’ regarding ‘identity theft’ and promises substantial compensation.

The scam email in question. (Image Credit: Scamwatch)

The email appears to come from a court in the UK and reads, 'We regret to inform you that you have been the victim of identity theft. Your identity and consumer credit files were compromised during a data breach where millions of user profiles were exposed to hackers and used in an identity theft scheme now uncovered by federal authorities and interpol.’

‘The offenders have been prosecuted and ordered to pay a substantial settlement in which you are eligible to receive a portion of.'

It may feel tempting to reach out to the email address provided in order to get your 'reward' but this is in fact exactly what the scammers are after – the more people that respond, the easier it is for them to obtain personal details and access funds.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Scamwatch is warning Australians to be wary of these emails and absolutely not to respond or contact Westchester Court as advised in the email.

Key Takeaways

• Aussies who may have been the victim of identity theft are being warned about a new scam email targeting them.
• The ACCC Scamwatch warns Aussies to be on the lookout for the scam, which claims they have been awarded money.
• The email appears to come from a UK court and claims the potential victim has had their identity stolen.
• Scamwatch urges anyone who receives the email not to respond and to report the scam to them.

The Australian government has outlined a few precautionary steps to take if you believe you have been a victim of identity fraud or theft. These include reporting the breach to your bank, changing your passwords and watching out for suspicious phone calls and emails.

How to stay safe after a data breach. Credit: SDC

You may also like to familiarise yourself with recent data breaches to find out whether your data is already at risk:

Telstra employees

Coles credit card customers

Medibank

Optus

Take the time to protect your digital information and stay informed of the latest scams to ensure your identity remains safe.

As always, we will keep you informed with any changes, developments or new scams.

Have you come across this, or a similar, scam? We would love to hear from you in the comments section below.

 

[Staffordshire Whippet]

A self-fulfilling prophecy.
It works two ways: (a) people who have already been scammed being gullible enough to think that someone is on "their side" respond, thereby giving the scammer the way in to do them over again; and
(b) triggering the Greed impulse of people not previously scammed, wanting to get something for nothing.

Remember, Kids: TANSTAAFL!

 

[Keswickian]

Some people are slow learners. Surely there has been enough publicity about these simple scams perpetrated through rogue text messages or emails.
NEVER NEVER NEVER click on a link or respond to an email or phone call without checking the authority of the caller by some means other than that message.

 

[Macarj]

Should be common sense by now