‘Mail theft cost me $20,000’: Identity fraud victim shares horror story

FINDING ever more cunning ways to make a quick buck, identity thieves used stolen mail to siphon $5000 at a time from victim Paula Mills.

Cremorne resident Paula Mills is a victim of mail theft. THrough her bank and phone she has had $20000 taken,

A CREMORNE woman has endured a nightmare at the hands of identity fraudsters who she says have stolen about $20,000 from her bank account.

Paula Mills ​said she first ​noticed ​her mail had been stolen ​from her unit block in November​ last year. In the following days her account and mobile phone were hacked.

“I need everyone to scream out with me to not only protect me but to let everyone know, especially in this area, that this is happening,” she said.

Ms Mills said thieves ​had ​drained sums of up to $5000 at a time from her account online.

She is also aware of one instance where ​a ​duplicate credit card was used to withdraw $1000 on Oxford St, in Paddington. ​

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CCTV footage of mail theft from apartment building in Pyrmont, Sydney.

Thieves are often looking to steal cheques and credit cards or other banking documents.

She has been locked out of her accounts while police and the banks investigate, and has been forced to ­borrow money off family and friends.

“I’m using my mortgage bank to do stuff. I’m borrowing money off my parents and my boyfriend,” she said.

“I’ve got bills accumulating … I had to borrow money to pay.”

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An article in the Mosman Daily about mail theft sparked her suspicions that she had been a victim of ​identity fraud​.

She called ​her bank, Citibank, to blo​ck her account but says they did not fulfil her request in time.

“You feel so exposed to the world,” she said.

“If I hadn’t seen the article I don’t know what I would have done. How can you connect all of these dots? It’s impossible. ”​

​​She ​also claims ​Optus ​gave out her details twice to the hackers and she had since changed phone providers.

Ms Mills has ​since lodged complaints with the financial and telecommunications ombudsmen.

Paula Mills says since her mail was stolen, her bank accounts were drained and her phone hacked.

An Optus spokeswoman said the company ​took hacking allegations extremely ­seriously and​ were ​investigating the issue.

A Citibank ​spokesman said ​the bank had​ credited Ms Mills’ accounts for the fraudulent transactions. They were due to meet her today to ensure the matter is fully resolved.

“Unfortunately, the way in which we have remediated the fraudulent activity on the accounts has not been satisfactory, for which we apologise,” he said. ​

Operation Newman has been set up by North Sydney Police to combat mail theft in the area.

Many people are not aware when their mail has been stolen and residents are advised to check their mail regularly and secure their mailboxes.

Credit cards should be collected from banks and bills delivered by email.

Have you been a victim of mail theft? Tell us at [e-mail].

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