People across the central to mid-north coast region of NSW will have to opportunity to learn directly from experts on how to make their identity more secure as ID Support NSW announces a series of visits to communities.
ID Support NSW Director, James Blakely said it was more important than ever to keep informed on how to keep personal information secure, following recent cyber-attacks on businesses.
“Having your identity credentials compromised and your identity stolen is incredibly distressing and can have serious consequences. It can take people hours to call different organisations to cancel and replace documents and manage credit repair in the event of financial impact,” Mr Blakely said.
“This can often lead to undue stress and anxiety in what can already be a difficult time for people.
“Through these pop-up events we are giving people the tools they need to protect their personal information, such as using strong passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication, as well as providing information about what to do in the event their identity is compromised.
“ID Support NSW will also educate people on the risks associated with identity theft and explain how it can help replace documents such as a driver licence, photo card or birth certificate if they are stolen or fraudulently obtained.”
Mr Blakely said these events would be an opportunity to educate people in regional communities on risks and solutions specific to them.
“For our events taking place in Service NSW centres, customers will be able to come to our pop-up booth and get advice on how to spot a scam, run a credit check, make stronger passwords, ask the ID Support NSW team any questions they have and take away materials to read and refer to when they need,” he said.
“Our free-of-charge larger events which run for up to 45 minutes, are an opportunity for customers to sit down with the ID Support NSW team and learn in-depth about identity theft, methods they use to stay protected, proactive steps to monitor whether they have been impacted and to ask any questions on cyber security or identity.
“Identity theft is a global issue but as a modern and customer-centric government, NSW is leading the way when it comes to protecting and supporting victims of this crime and lifting the burden as they reclaim their identity.”
Organisations interested in hosting an ID Support NSW information session can submit a request through the ID Support NSW website.
ID Support NSW is visiting nine Local Government Areas from 23 November to 30 November.
More events will take place in February 2023 to coincide with Seniors Week.
For more information on ID Support NSW, visit: https://www.nsw.gov.au/id-support-nsw.