A December 2015 article in The Australian newspaper highlights the need for vigilance and care in relation to the increasing scourge that is identity theft, which is described as “Australia’s most common crime”.
The article also quotes Australian Border Force acting assistant commissioner David Nockels who states “Once you have your identity stolen it’s very difficult to get it back”.
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Four nabbed in high-quality identity theft
AAP DECEMBER 22, 2015 12:35PM
Piles of fake Medicare cards, drivers licences and credit cards are evidence of the increasing sophistication of identity theft, Australia’s most common crime.
The bogus documents, $60,000 in cash, printers and laminators were seized as police made four arrests in Sydney last week.
Four men aged 33, 37, 44 and 50 were charged with identity theft offences.
A 51-year-old woman found to be an illegal immigrant was transferred to Villawood detention centre pending deportation.
The arrests, made across six Sydney suburbs, were the culmination of Operation Drax, a lengthy investigation into an Australian-based syndicate.
Police said the documents seized were of such high quality it was hard to tell which ones had been made based on real identities and which ones were based on imaginary people.
Australian Border Force acting assistant commissioner David Nockels said he suspected hundreds of victims were affected.
“Once you have your identity stolen it’s very difficult to get it back,” he said.
He said identity theft is the most common crime in Australia and that the latest haul is the tip of the iceberg.
AFP manager of criminal assets, fraud and anti-corruption commander Peter Crozier said the most vulnerable to identity theft are young people who readily give away personal information on social media, the elderly, small businesses and government departments.
“People need to be vigilant about their identity, and need to be more careful,” he said.
