Scams and fraud

Here are a few signs to look out for that could indicate your details may have been compromised:

• your identity document like a passport or driver’s licence has been lost or stolen
• mail stops arriving at your address
• you don’t recognise payments appearing on your debit/credit card statements
• you receive bills, invoices or receipts that are addressed to you for goods or services that you didn’t ask for
• debt collectors contact you regarding amounts owed for purchases you didn’t make or loans you didn’t take out.

If you think your identity has been stolen, there are a few immediate steps you can take to mitigate your risk and loss.

1. Contact your financial institutions. They will need to block your account and cancel any debit or credit cards you have.

2. Change your passwords to your online accounts if you can. If the perpetrator has gained access to your life insurance account and changed the passwords so you can’t log in, call us directly and we will guide you on the next steps.

3. Contact IDCare. This is a national organisation that helps people who have had their identity stolen to limit the damage done.

4. Report it to the police either in person or online.

5. Let your family and friends know so they can be on the lookout for suspicious contact from someone posing as you.

If you think that your life insurance account has been compromised please call us directly on 1300 209 088. In order to fix your account you will need to undertake a few steps and provide some information to us:

1. Report the identity theft to the police and get a crime ‘event number’.
2. Produce a valid and certified form of ID or, where this is not possible, a statutory declaration that you are who you say you are and that your identity has been stolen. Statutory declarations can come from your employer, doctor or solicitor.

Once we have this information, we will be able to take the necessary steps to protect your account and investigate the fraud.

• Look out for suspicious emails that have spelling errors or that come from obscure email addresses. Always double-check that the sender is trustworthy before clicking any links, as these could contain malware that compromises your security.
• Choose passwords that are easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess. A passphrase is often a helpful tool.
• Be careful about giving out personal information over the phone, text or email. Always verify who is contacting you by calling the official customer service line.
• Use antivirus software.
• Keep your physical identification documents in a safe place.
• Put a lock on your mailbox and shred or tear up any documents containing personal information before you throw them in the bin.
• Regularly check your bank, insurance and superannuation statements.
• Beware of paying money to anyone you don’t know, especially if they are putting pressure on you or asking you to set up new accounts or PayIDs.
• If you got your insurance policy through a financial adviser, stay in contact with your adviser who can act as another source of information.
• If you got your insurance through your superannuation fund provider, please also contact them to let them know about your situation.

NOTE: There might be circumstances where we will call you directly about your account. If you are receiving a call from TAL, it will be in response to an application for cover, a claim notification or a missed premium payment. We do not make unsolicited calls. If you do not feel comfortable taking the phone call, feel free to hang up and call us back.

For more information to help you spot or deal with a scam, here are some helpful links.

IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber support service. They can help you make a plan (for free) to limit the damage of identity theft.

Services Australia's Scams and Identity Theft is the Australian Government page for resources and help.

Cyber is the Australian Government page for reporting scams and identity theft to the police.

Scamwatch is run by the National Anti-Scam Centre to collect reports about scams so they can warn others, educate the public, and take action to stop scams.

Equifax provides credit ratings and identity monitoring services and can alert you if there is suspicious activity connected to your credit score or identity.