South-west customers have been contacted by communications provider Optus which has been the victim of a cyber attack.
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In a letter to customers Optus chief executive officer Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said some personal information had been disclosed.
"Importantly, no financial information or passwords have been accessed," she said.
"The information which has been exposed is your name, date of birth, email, and the number of the ID document you provided such as driver's licence or passport number. No copies of photo IDs have been affected.
"It is also important to know that Optus' network and Optus services including mobile and home Wi-Fi aren't affected, and no passwords were compromised, so our services remain safe to use and operate as per normal.
"Upon discovering the cyberattack, we immediately took action to shut it down to protect your information. Our priority is our customers - so while our investigation is not yet complete, we wanted you to be aware of what has happened so that you can be extra vigilant at this time."
Ms Bayer Rosmarin said the company was not currently aware of customers having suffered any harm, but encourage them to have heightened awareness across their accounts, including:
- Look out for any suspicious or unexpected activity across your online accounts, including your bank accounts. Make sure to report any fraudulent activity immediately to the related provider,
- Look out for contact from scammers who may have your personal information. This may include suspicious emails, texts, phone calls or messages on social media,
- Never click on any links that look suspicious and never provide your passwords, or any personal or financial information,
- If people call you posing as a credible organisation and request access to your computer, always say no.
The CEO said announcements had been made in the media.
"We did this as it was the quickest and most effective way to alert you and all our customers, while also communicating the severity of the situation through trusted media sources," she said.
"For the most up-to-date information and FAQs, go to optus.com.au. If you believe your account has been compromised, you can contact us via My Optus app - which remains the safest way to contact Optus, or call us on 133 937.
"We apologise unreservedly and are devastated this could occur. We are working as hard as possible with the relevant authorities and organisations to ensure no harm comes from this unfortunate occurrence."
Scamwatch is also warning Optus customers to be on the look out for scams and take steps to secure their personal information following the cyber attack.
The website warned that for some customers identity document numbers such as driver's licence or passport numbers could be in the hands of criminals.
"It is important to be aware that you be may be at risk of identity theft and take urgent action to prevent harm," a spokeswoman said.
"Optus customers should take immediate steps to secure all of their accounts, particularly their bank and financial accounts. You should also monitor for unusual activity on your accounts and watch out for contact by scammers."
The Scamwatch spokeswoman said steps you can take to protect your personal information include:
- Secure your devices and monitor for unusual activity,
- Change your online account passwords and enable multi factor authentication for banking,
- Check your accounts for unusual activity such as items you haven't purchased,
- Place limits on your accounts or ask you bank how you can secure your money,
- If you suspect fraud you can request a ban on your credit report.
The spokeswoman said scammers may use your personal information to contact you by phone, text or email.
"Never click on links or provide personal or financial information to someone who contacts you out of the blue. Learn how to protect yourself from scams by visiting www.scamwatch.gov.au," she said.
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