On March 18, 2022, TransUnion Africa, one of the country’s biggest processors of personal and financial data, confirmed reports of a cyberattack that may have exposed the personal details of over 54 million South Africans.
According to their website, the affected data may include consumer information, such as telephone numbers, email addresses, identity numbers, physical addresses and a few credit scores.
Why should you care? This information could be used to trick you into sharing your passwords in order to commit fraud and identity theft.
It’s important for you to mitigate the risk of identity theft and fraudulent applications by following these precautionary measures:
- Do not disclose personal information such as passwords and PINs when asked to do so via telephone, fax or even e-mail.
- Change your password regularly and never share it with anyone else.
- Add another layer of protection by using Two-Factor Authentication wherever possible
- Verify all requests for personal information and only provide it when there is a legitimate reason to do so.
- Use other personal information that you have not previously used to confirm your identity.
Click here to read about digital wellness.
