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Canberra Today 13°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

New, free driver licences for victims of Optus hack

The data breach is believed to have compromised the private information of 9.8 million Australians. Photo: Optus.

ACT residents who have been deemed most at risk of identity theft or fraud due to the Optus data breach will receive a new driver licence card for free.

The ACT government says Access Canberra has established a dedicated team to support impacted customers that will work directly with them based on their individual circumstances.

The fee to replace a card is $42.60, which Optus has agreed to credit into affected customers’ accounts when advising them that their personal details have been compromised.

In the ACT, every driver licence issued includes two separate number fields that, since September 1, need to be used together, and match, to verify a person’s identity.

Optus has advised the ACT government that a small number of ACT residents have had both numbers released in the data breach and that these people are most at risk of identity theft or fraud.

Minister for Business Tara Cheyne said Access Canberra will prioritise those who have had both their licence number and card number compromised in the breach.

“For Canberrans replacing their cards, the new card will amend one of those fields, which will remove the risk of your driver licence information being used incorrectly,” said Cheyne.

“We understand that people are concerned and that’s why we will be working quickly to ensure we can provide new cards as soon as possible.”

Canberrans who have been contacted by Optus and require support can contact the Access Canberra resolution team by calling 13 22 81 and selecting option one, Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm.

More information can also be found here.

How to protect yourself from the Optus data breach

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Ian Meikle, editor

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