Urging consumers to be on the lookout for warning signals, she describes a typical instance of how one’s identity can be stolen and used.

“An individual’s identity number may be used when opening an account. The fraudster applies for an account using the ID and enters into some form of contract in the name of the person to whom the ID belongs. The thief then acquires a handset and starts to use the phone,” she said.

“At some subsequent point in time the victim of the fraud discovers the scam because the telephone company starts to bill him/her. That’s when the stricken consumer needs to take instant action.”

Coppola recommends the following remedial steps:

·         contact the telephone company and advise, via an affidavit, that the account in question has been opened under false pretences;

·         open a case with the police; and

·         check out your credit status with a credit bureau like Experian and advise the bureau of the identity theft to ensure that your status has not been damaged.

She advises consumers to follow a defensive strategy by regularly viewing their credit reports to ensure that there are no fictitious entries to their accounts.

“Protect your ID by obtaining a credit report on a regular basis. You can access your report at any time on line.  There are significant benefits derived in terms of early ID theft detection.

“ID fraud requires you to go to the trouble and extreme inconvenience of explaining to one or more credit provider that you did not complete that application form; that you do not owe the money; that you don’t know who it is.”

Coppola stresses the need to be constantly aware of one’s vulnerability to identity theft.

“If you think about it, you present your ID on a host of occasions. The organisations requesting ID are usually well aware of the document’s confidentiality. But bad apples may lurk. So check your credit report regularly.”

Identity theft aside, Coppola recommends that consumers check their credit reports when applying for credit; that they ensure their credit standing is healthy and that they agree with the information that populates the report.

“It’s the responsible thing to do. Often applications for credit are declined, or the applicant does not get the credit he/she wants and needs. Upon checking their credit report with a credit bureau they may discover the reasons, perhaps explaining why the application was unsuccessful. If they’d done the checks up-front and taken action to try and rectify their credit status, the application could have gone much better.

“After all, when you apply for a job, you prepare yourself, update your curriculum vitae and then submit the application. Why, then, should you not take the same level of care when applying for credit?”

ENDS

For media queries, please contact:

Inga Sebata

ingas@meropa.co.za

011 506 7328

071 365 6480

News release

Widespread scam targets debt-strapped consumers

South Africa, 12 February 2013 – “Do not pay anything up front until you have had a service of some value.”

This is the earnest warning to all consumers from Sharon Coppola, legal risk and compliance executive at information services group Experian SA.

It is a cautionary message prompted by a scam that has cost beleaguered consumers many thousands of rands since it started doing the rounds in recent months.  Coppola also urges people to contact a credit bureau and get a free copy of their credit report to understand how they can manage their credit rating instead of falling prey to these scams.

Recounting the story of a victim who recently approached Experian for assistance, Coppola tells of a woman who desperately needed a second-hand car and advertised on public internet sites, in the process highlighting the difficulty she was encountering as a result of her poor credit rating.

She was then approached via email by someone who wrote that the same thing had happened to him; that he knew of an organisation that could help her; that he would arrange for her to receive a contact address.

Soon thereafter she was furnished with an internet email address, with which she engaged. Help was offered contingent upon her receiving a favourable credit record – which, the identity behind the email assured her, could be obtained upon payment to him of R3 000.

“Once I am able to secure a clean credit record for you, I can have your car ready and waiting.”

To illustrate its bona fides, the scam syndicate sent her a host of documentation liberally festooned with the logos of credit bureaus, the ombud, and a leading commercial bank.

“The forms were pseudo and the logos were reproduced from branded material readily available to the public,” says Coppola.

Once the R3 000 had been paid, the fraudsters closed their internet account and the account into which the money was paid. Unsurprisingly, the further impoverished consumer never heard from the perpetrators again.

She called Coppola to recount her dreadful experience.

“The saddest thing of all is that those who fall for the scam are those least able to afford the R3 000, since they cannot get credit anywhere else. In this particular case, the family lost their house. All they were trying to do was to get a cheap second-hand car in order to get around.

“We brought the scam to the attention of forensic investigators who said there was little they could do to track down the perpetrators because they hid behind a public website address. In effect, she lost R3 000 and she will never get it back.

“Alas, it is not the first time it has happened, and probably won’t be the last.”

As a service to the public, Experian is doing its level best to create awareness among consumers.

“Be warned; do not fall for this scam,” Coppola urges. “There are clever syndicates behind this carefully premeditated scam; syndicates that troll the web for debt-strapped consumers. Do not pay anything up front until you have had a service of some value.”

She emphasises the consumer’s right to go to a credit bureau before resorting to desperate measures and confirms that credit bureau does not remove information unless, after investigation, there is a legitimate reason for removal.

“A credit bureau like Experian is able to examine a credit rating and advise on how it can be managed, and where possible, improved. As a starting point, simply approach a bureau and request a free credit report. You can challenge the information contained in the report and could arrange for certain of the data to be excised.

“In short, make the bureau your first point of call.”

Footnote

To access your Experian credit report online and sign-up to receive credit report updates by sms and email, please visit www.creditexpert.co.za. For queries on your Experian credit report please contact Experian Consumer Relations on 0861 10 56 65.

ENDS

Contact:

About Experian

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients around the world. The Group helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2012 was US$4.5 billion. Experian employs approximately 17,000 people in 44 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil.

For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com.