Tasmanian ICT security expert warns against paper forms and emailing credit card numbers

A TASMANIAN information security expert has warned against emailing credit card numbers and says businesses shouldn’t be using paper forms to request payment details.

An IT security expert says individuals should shred, rip up or destroy any paper containing their name and address and banking details lest they fall into the wrong hands.

AN IT security expert is warning Tasmanians not to email credit card numbers when doing business over fears of identity theft.

Digital Tasmania spokesman and ICT security expert John Allan says individuals should shred, rip up or destroy any paper containing their name and address.

His warning comes after credit forms containing the bank card details, names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of more than 30 people were found scattered across a road in Sandy Bay.

The information belonged to Optometry Tasmania and apparently scattered when a bin was knocked over in windy weather.

It is not known if all the forms lost from the bin have been recovered.

The forms were those of participants in the 2014 Tasmania Lifestyle Congress which included a seminar breakfast and dinner event.

Optometry Tasmania CEO Jonathan Jones said most of the lost documents were old invoices and archived accounts from 10 years ago, but the Mercury spoke to several clients who were concerned about the apparent security lapse.

Victorian optometrist Ian Wood, who attended the 2014 event, said he was surprised at the “sloppy” data breach.

“I expected a bit more care, they should have been shredded,” he said. “We deal with credit card details here and we make sure no one else has access to them.”

Mr Allan said even shredded documents posed a risk of identity theft as they could be pieced back together. “There are many circumstances where simply losing name and address information could be misused — which is the same reason some people have silent phone numbers and silent listings on the electoral roll,” he said.

“Many businesses such as hotels are behind the eight-ball with how they handle card information. I still see hotels asking me to email my credit card details to them.”

He said consumers also have to be alert, assertive and consider whether they’re comfortable with a merchant’s security measures.

Since the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme commenced in February this year, Australian government agencies and other organisations with obligations to secure personal information under the Privacy Act are required to notify individuals affected by data breaches likely to result in serious harm.

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