Truck Centre WA
Unauthorised access to Truck Centre (WA) email account
Truck Centre (WA) recently identified unusual activity in one our internal email accounts.
As soon as we detected this unusual activity, we began work to secure the email account involved and investigate what happened.
Our investigation confirmed that there had been unauthorised access to the email account by an unknown third party. The primary motivation appears to be to further a phishing campaign.
We have now conducted a review of the email account contents and found it contained some personal information, including some identity documents.
We would like to reassure you that we have no evidence to suggest that any personal information has been misused as a result of the incident.
As a precautionary measure, we advise that you remain vigilant for potential phishing emails and other scam communications from organisations purporting to be from Truck Centre (WA).
Additionally, if you have previously provided identity documents or information to Truck Centre (WA), we advise that you follow the guidance provided below on the steps you can take to protect your information against potential misuse.
We understand this news will be concerning and we apologise for any distress caused. Please contact cyber-fraud-alert@tcwa.com.au, if you have questions about whether any of your information may have been involved.
Steps can you take to protect your information
General guidance
If you have concerns about the incident (or your information more generally), below are some precautionary steps you can take to protect your information against potential misuse:
- be aware of email, telephone and text-based scams. Do not share personal information with anyone unless confident about who you are sharing it with;
- remain alert for any phishing scams that may come to you by phone, post or email;
- when on a webpage asking for your login credentials, take note of the web address or URL (‘Uniform Resource Locator’). The URL is located in the address bar of your web browser and typically starts with https://;
- if you are suspicious of the URL, do not provide your login details. Contact the entity through the usual channels to ensure you are logging into the correct web page. Please note that we will never contact you to ask for your username or password;
- enable multi-factor authentication for your online accounts where possible, including your email, banking, and social media accounts;
- ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on any device you use to access your online accounts;
- review your recent transaction history and bank statements for any suspicious activity. Contact your bank in the instances where suspicious activity is identified;
- follow the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch guidance for protecting yourself from scams here: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/get-help/protect-yourself-from-scams/; and
- for more information, visit the OAIC’s tips for further guidance about protecting your identity:
- https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/tips-to-protect-your-privacy/ and
- https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/data-breaches/data-breach-support-and-resources/.
Medicare information
If you have concerns about any Medicare information that you may have provided to Truck Centre (WA), please contact us at cyber-fraud-alert@tcwa.com.au We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.
If you are concerned about the security of your Medicare, Centrelink and myGov accounts, please visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/databreach for more information on how you can protect your personal information after a data breach.
To offer further reassurance, your Medicare account can’t be accessed with just your Medicare card number alone. Unlike a scan or copy of a Medicare card, a Medicare card number by itself cannot be used as a proof of identity.
Tax File Numbers
If you have concerns about your Tax File Number (TFN) that you may have provided to Truce Centre (WA), please contact us at cyber-fraud-alert@tcwa.com.au. We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is able to set up monitoring and apply protective measures for your TFN to prevent future misuse, where your TFN as set out on a Notice of Assessment (NOA), payslip or other document has been impacted.
If you wish to contact the ATO to set up monitoring and apply protective measures, you can contact them on 1800 467 033 (available 8:00 am to 6:00 pm AEST, Monday to Friday). More information is available on the ATO website: https://www.ato.gov.au/online-services/scams-cyber-safety-and-identity-protection/help-with-data-breaches/data-breach-guidance-for-individuals.
Driver licence copy (current or expired)
If you have concerns about any identity information that you may have provided to Truck Centre (WA), please contact us at cyber-fraud-alert@tcwa.com.au. We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.
Any unauthorised access to a driver licence does not affect its validity and it can still be used it for its intended purpose, and as a valid form of proof of identity. If this ID document is expired, this reduces the risk of misuse.
However, this ID document may provide credentials that can be used to conduct fraudulent transactions when combined with other forms of identification. As a rule of thumb, the more ID documents available, the easier it is to construct a fake profile for fraudulent purposes.
Where a driver licence has been accessed by an unauthorised third party, you may want to consider replacing your driver licence by contacting the issuing authority. While the driver licence number and expiry date will remain the same, you will be issued a new card number.
Individuals may wish to carefully consider the impact of replacing a licence as this may prevent you from using it as a form of ID, obtaining credit for legitimate purposes, or may affect your travel plans in the short term while IDs are being reissued. Please consider this advice and your own circumstances before deciding to replace your ID.
We also recommend that you review and continue to monitor your consumer credit report for any discrepancies or unusual activity. Information about obtaining a credit report or credit ban is provided below.
Australian passport number only (current or expired)
If you have concerns about any identity-related information that you may have provided to Truck Centre (WA), please contact us at cyber-fraud-alert@tcwa.com.au. We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.
Any unauthorised access to your passport number does not affect the document’s validity and you are still able to use it for travel and as a valid proof of identity. An expired passport can be used for digital verification purposes for up to three years after the date of expiry.
However, a passport number may provide credentials that can be used to conduct fraudulent transactions when combined with other forms of identification, and you may want to consider contacting the issuing authority to replace your passport.
Before replacing your passport, we recommend that you refer to the data-breach frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Australian Passport Office website https://www.passports.gov.au/data-breaches.
Also carefully consider the impact of replacing your passport if you are thinking of doing so. Replacing a passport may prevent you from using it as a valid form of ID, obtaining credit for legitimate purposes or affect your travel plans in the short term while a new passport is being issued. Please consider this advice and your own circumstances before deciding to replace your passport.
We also recommend that you review and continue to monitor your consumer credit report for any discrepancies or unusual activity. Information about obtaining a credit report or credit ban is provided below.
Q: I think I need a credit report or ban, where can I go to get one?
A: You can apply for an annual free credit report from one of the consumer Credit Reporting Agencies below.
You can also consider contacting the below credit reporting bodies to place a temporary ban on your credit report. This means that they will not be able to share your credit report with credit providers without your consent for 21 days (unless extended).
| Name | Website |
| Illion | https://www.creditcheck.illion.com.au/ |
| Equifax | https://www.equifax.com.au/personal/products/equifax-credit-report |
| Experian | http://www.experian.com.au/consumer-reports |
Q: Who can I contact for more information about cyber security and protecting my online identity?
A: Additional general resources on identity and cyber security support can be found here:
- https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/data-breaches/data-breach-support-and-resources/
- https://www.idcare.org/
- https://www.cyber.gov.au/protect-yourself
- https://www.cyber.gov.au/report-and-recover/have-you-been-hacked
Q: I have more questions – who can I talk to?
A: We have a dedicated service team available to answer any questions. You can contact them on cyber-fraud-alert@tcwa.com.au and a team member will contact you.
