What’s personal information?

Any piece of information that – on its own or collectively – can uniquely identify you:

• Name and surname
• Identity/Passport number
• Cellphone number
• Bank account number, for example, cheque account
• Credit card number and CVV (the three digits on the back of your credit card) 
• Proof of income, for example, payslip or bank account statements
• Health information

You, or who you share your personal information with, need to protect it to prevent these:

• Phishing – criminals send emails claiming to come from a genuine company to try and trick you into disclosing personal information
• ATM shoulder surfing – criminals can steal your debit card PIN while transacting at an ATM
• Social engineering – criminals impersonate bank personnel and smooth talk you to share information, which gives the criminals access to bank accounts
• Dumpster diving – criminals trawl through your waste bins for bank statements or policy documents  to commit crime
• ID Theft – criminals can steal and assume your identity, buying goods in your name and leaving you in debt

Tips to avoid these risks

• Avoid leaving your personal information lying around in a public place, for example, an airport, the Gautrain
• First confirm the need before giving personal information to anyone
• Carry only credit cards or membership cards you need
• Before discarding invoices, statements or documents containing sensitive information, tear them up or burn them
• Choose strong passwords: Include numbers, special characters, upper case and lower case
• Change passwords and PINs often
• When internet banking, check you’re on the legitimate website – don’t click on a link in an e-mail, but rather type in the web address and look for the secure lock

Fallen prey?

• Document it: The day, time and location
• Report it: Immediately to the police and the relevant financial institutes