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Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
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Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
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Someone used your personal information

Someone might have changed your details, placed orders, or taken over your service. If this happens to you, your provider should investigate quickly and properly.

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TIPS

How you can work with your provider on a personal information issue

  1. Tell your provider as soon as you can

  2. Ask your provider what personal information someone used

  3. Ask your provider what was changed or done in your account.

  4. If someone ordered or bought anything, ask your provider to cancel the order and charges

EXPECTATIONS

What we expect your provider to do

When you report a personal information breach, your provider should:

  • Investigate quickly and properly

    Your provider should listen to what you say happened and explain the next steps.

  • Cancel fraudulent orders and waive all charges

    If someone bought goods or services with your information, your provider should tell you what they bought, cancel the orders and waive the charges.

  • Compensate you for a breach

    In some cases, your provider should compensate you, depending on the impact the breach had on you.

  • Help you secure your accounts

    Your provider should tell you what steps to take to keep your accounts safe so this doesn't happen again.

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10-20 minutes

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OUR CONSIDERATIONS

We look at what went wrong, what your provider told you, and whether it did enough to fix it.

  • How someone accessed your account

  • How your provider responded to the issue

  • What information supports your provider’s findings

  • What impact the issue had on you

POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

Depending on your issue, we may ask your provider to...

  • Share its investigation

    Show us its findings, so we can see if your privacy was breached.

  • Cancel and refund fraudulent orders

    If someone ordered or bought goods or services, cancel the orders and refund you.

  • Apologise and compensate you

    If we find your provider failed to protect your personal information, they should apologise and in some cases compensate you for the impact on you.

How we've helped others