Her case has called into question how ready Australia's authorities are to deal with the rising threat of identity theft, with experts saying the system is failing victims and leaving people vulnerable to further abuse.ĭo you know more about this story? Contact Rebecca Trigger A black book of victim's detailsĪ cautious person by nature, Silvana thought it was a hoax when months after she lost her cards she received an email from the WA Police. She lives in a state, Western Australia, where it is impossible to change her driver's licence number, and that number has now been permanently compromised. Scammers had already managed to secure what is known in the security industry as the "golden ticket" to her identity - the driver's licence - and quickly moved to exploit it.įor Silvana, whose surname the ABC has chosen not to publish, the gravity of the situation was revealed when she discovered her bank was poised to give a $100,000 loan to a criminal in her name.īut then an even worse realisation dawned on her - for the rest of her life she would remain exposed to this type of attack.
As soon as she realised her mistake she cancelled her phone contract and credit card, and deleted her phone data remotely.īut she was too late.