[James Gutierrez]

Small business owners left $40,000 out of pocket after data breach​

It’s important to be vigilant when it comes to safeguarding your personal information, whether online or offline.

Sadly, no matter how careful we are, there's always a chance that our hard-earned savings could be stolen if we're not aware of the latest scams and hacking trends.

We recently reported on the data breaches suffered by two major Australian companies – Optus and Medibank – which reportedly exposed sensitive customer information like names, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

Now it seems that some customers of these companies have already fallen victim to fraudsters who accessed their personal data without their knowledge or consent.

Jimmy Marinis and Mary-Jane Daffy believe identity thieves 'piggybacked' off the Optus hack and gained access to their bank accounts. Credit: YouTube/9 News Australia.

One couple from Melbourne who was affected by the Optus hack told reporters that they had lost almost $40,000 from teller withdrawals and other fraudulent activity in just two weeks.

Cafe owners Mary-Jane Daffy and Jim Marinis said they first noticed something was wrong when $10,000 was mysteriously withdrawn from one of their bank accounts.

Mary-Jane recalled the harrowing experience to news reporters and said that everything started to 'snowball' from there.

Fraudulent credit card applications, shopping voucher requests and personal loan approvals quickly followed suit – totalling more than $60,000 in unapproved charges.

And even though some of these were eventually cancelled after being flagged by authorities, the couple has now lost almost $40,000 from teller withdrawals and admitted that the situation is getting worse.

'It's just f***ing destroying us,' said Jim, with his wife adding: 'It feels like your house is burning down, and you're locked outside, and there's nothing you can do about it.'

'It's not until it really hits you that you take it seriously.'

Since the news of the recent data breach, more and more Australians are becoming victims of identity theft. Credit: Pexels/Sora Shimazaki.

The couple has since frozen all of their accounts until further notice.

Although the hackers have not yet been identified, they believe that their personal data was accessed after Optus' systems were breached in September.

They are now issuing a warning to other Aussies, urging them to be aware of the risks of identity theft and fraud.

Key Takeaways

• A Melbourne couple has lost $40,000 to scammers after their personal data was allegedly stolen in the Optus hack.
• The couple says they have been left feeling like their house is burning down, and there is nothing they can do about it.
• The federal government has launched a high-tech policing operation to target cybercriminals and bring them to justice.

This is a very scary situation for the couple and their family, and a harsh reminder of how easily our savings can be taken away from us if we're not careful.

Members, if you believe you may have been a victim of fraud or identity theft, it's important to act fast and report the incident to your bank or financial institution immediately. You should also contact the relevant authorities, like the Australian Federal Police, to make a formal report.

We hope that this couple is able to get their finances back in order soon, and we'll be sure to keep you updated on any new developments in this story.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!

 

[Suzanne rose]

It is scary ! I've received emails from optus , medibank and AHM saying my information is hacked .
I am keeping my eyes on my accounts but the scary thing is identification theft.
What gets me is how can they apply and get away with loans,

 

[mark godwin]

my name is not lionel !!!!!!!!!

 

[Lynette Finnigan]

It's getting beyond a joke...millions and millions are scammed from Australia each year (and how much worldwide!!???)...identity theft is even worse, major companies being hacked!! It really needs governments to start cooperating to put this down!!

 

[Lynette Finnigan]

my name is not lionel !!!!!!!!!

Yes..its easy when they get your name wrong... but they can make things look so official that people get tricked.

 

[Ricci]

It is scary ! I've received emails from optus , medibank and AHM saying my information is hacked .
I am keeping my eyes on my accounts but the scary thing is identification theft.
What gets me is how can they apply and get away with loans,

As you say, a very scary time. I think, as a matter of caution I would be asking my bank to close my accounts and open new ones, I would also lodge with the bank a letter that states that you have no intention of applying for a loan for the foreseeable future, that way they would know that any application in your name was fraudulent. A pain I know but you have to be able to protect yourself.

 

[Macarj]

I still don't understand why their bank didn't call them before the $40000 was taken after the first unusual withdrawal

 

[JayKay]

my name is not lionel !!!!!!!!!

It is now, they changed it for you, thought it suited you better!

 

[mark godwin]

Yes..its easy when they get your name wrong... but they can make things look so official that people get tricked.

i have hundreds of scam emails and they are becoming very convincing ! just delete anything you don,t know or starts with congratulations , you,re a winner and never click on links !!

 

[JehazFNQ]

In all this, and I’ve heard many terrible stories recently of large sums suddenly being accessed, I too am shocked that the banks don’t do more. I am lucky, someone several years ago tried to use my credit card details (obtained from who knows where, since I have gone paperless. My bank immediately called me; poor woman was quizzed at length before I told her I wasn’t giving her any personal details over the phone in a public place. When the Optus situation emerged, my son immediately sent me a link (and yes, I called him to ensure it was kosher!); I signed up to the company for free to have all enquiries on any account or personal details frozen for a month and have since extended that to a year. I won’t put the link here but the company is called illion and you can request the illion AU BAN request form and they will also link the ban to two other credit checkers to have the ban on your information extended to any enquiries through them. Hope this helps!

 

[The Prawn]

How's the bank's form! how can a bank approve a loan site unseen, online without a one on one meeting with the applicant?

 

[Lynjw]

Small business owners left $40,000 out of pocket after data breach​

It’s important to be vigilant when it comes to safeguarding your personal information, whether online or offline.

Sadly, no matter how careful we are, there's always a chance that our hard-earned savings could be stolen if we're not aware of the latest scams and hacking trends.

We recently reported on the data breaches suffered by two major Australian companies – Optus and Medibank – which reportedly exposed sensitive customer information like names, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses.

Now it seems that some customers of these companies have already fallen victim to fraudsters who accessed their personal data without their knowledge or consent.

View attachment 8885

Jimmy Marinis and Mary-Jane Daffy believe identity thieves 'piggybacked' off the Optus hack and gained access to their bank accounts. Credit: YouTube/9 News Australia.

One couple from Melbourne who was affected by the Optus hack told reporters that they had lost almost $40,000 from teller withdrawals and other fraudulent activity in just two weeks.

Cafe owners Mary-Jane Daffy and Jim Marinis said they first noticed something was wrong when $10,000 was mysteriously withdrawn from one of their bank accounts.

Mary-Jane recalled the harrowing experience to news reporters and said that everything started to 'snowball' from there.

Fraudulent credit card applications, shopping voucher requests and personal loan approvals quickly followed suit – totalling more than $60,000 in unapproved charges.

And even though some of these were eventually cancelled after being flagged by authorities, the couple has now lost almost $40,000 from teller withdrawals and admitted that the situation is getting worse.

'It's just f***ing destroying us,' said Jim, with his wife adding: 'It feels like your house is burning down, and you're locked outside, and there's nothing you can do about it.'

'It's not until it really hits you that you take it seriously.'

View attachment 8886

Since the news of the recent data breach, more and more Australians are becoming victims of identity theft. Credit: Pexels/Sora Shimazaki.

The couple has since frozen all of their accounts until further notice.

Although the hackers have not yet been identified, they believe that their personal data was accessed after Optus' systems were breached in September.

They are now issuing a warning to other Aussies, urging them to be aware of the risks of identity theft and fraud.

Key Takeaways

• A Melbourne couple has lost $40,000 to scammers after their personal data was allegedly stolen in the Optus hack.
• The couple says they have been left feeling like their house is burning down, and there is nothing they can do about it.
• The federal government has launched a high-tech policing operation to target cybercriminals and bring them to justice.

This is a very scary situation for the couple and their family, and a harsh reminder of how easily our savings can be taken away from us if we're not careful.

Members, if you believe you may have been a victim of fraud or identity theft, it's important to act fast and report the incident to your bank or financial institution immediately. You should also contact the relevant authorities, like the Australian Federal Police, to make a formal report.

We hope that this couple is able to get their finances back in order soon, and we'll be sure to keep you updated on any new developments in this story.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!

The companies attacked by the thieves should be held responsible for not have adequate security on our records. Customers impacted by losses should be reimbursed by Optus and Medibank.

 

[Ronsha]

Does not sound good, we have lost $300 so far due to credit card fraud. We were straight onto our financial service and have reported it to AFP. Nothing they can do nothing as fraud is OS but have lodged claim with VISA. Ron & Ali

 

[888D.C888]

I still don't understand why their bank didn't call them before the $40000 was taken after the first unusual withdrawal

Yes I was wondering that too.

 

[888D.C888]

How's the bank's form! how can a bank approve a loan site unseen, online without a one on one meeting

Yes I was wondering that too.

It's getting beyond a joke...millions and millions are scammed from Australia each year (and how much worldwide!!???)...identity theft is even worse, major companies being hacked!! It really needs governments to start cooperating to put this down!!

Totally agree!