What to do if you’re affected by a privacy breach

If you have been told by a Queensland government agency that your privacy may have been breached, you should act quickly to reduce your risk of harm. The action you should take depends on the type of personal information involved.

If a privacy breach involves your:

Contact information such as your home address, email or phone number.

  • Change your email account passwords. If you emailed yourself passwords, change these as well. Enable multi-factor authentication if possible.
  • Be alert to potential scam emails, phone calls or texts. Information on protecting yourself from scams is available from scamwatch.gov.au.

Financial information such as your credit card or online banking login details.

  • Change your online banking account passwords security questions and your banking PIN. Advise your financial institution that your information has been involved in a privacy breach.
  • Check your account statements. If you spot any purchases you didn’t make, report these immediately to your financial institution.
  • Request a copy of your credit report to check if it includes any unauthorised loans or applications.

Identity  information such as your driver’s license or Medicare details.

  • Contact the agency that issued the identity document for advice using the contact details on their website.
  • Contact ID Care on 1800 595 160, Australia's national identity and cyber support service, who provide support to victims of identity theft.
  • Contact the Police if you are concerned that you might be the victim of identity fraud.

Health  information such as your health care records or prescriptions.

  • Contact your health service provider using the contact details on their website.

Tax-related information such as your tax file number.

  • Contact the Australian Taxation Office using the contact details on ato.gov.au. They can monitor any unusual or suspicious activity with your tax file number.

Importantly, take care of yourself. If your physical safety is at risk, contact the Police on Triple Zero (000) immediately. If you are at risk of domestic violence, contact the Police on Triple Zero (000), or DVConnect Womensline on 1800 811 811 or Mensline on 1800 600 636. If you are distressed, contact your doctor, a support service or your family or friends.