The Hon. Jihad Dib, Minister for Customer Service and Digital (NSW), Media Release, 29 May 2023

From the historic streets of Bathurst to the outback city of Broken Hill, people across regional NSW will be empowered with knowledge about how to keep their identity secure as ID Support NSW visits eight regional communities from 30 May until 28 June.

Following a successful roadshow along the Northern NSW coast last year which saw more than 400 people attend, ID Support NSW is engaging more communities to help improve their identity, privacy, and cyber security awareness.

More than 30 events will be held across Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Griffith, Wagga Wagga and Albury to demonstrate to local residents how to access the tools they need to secure their personal information online.

In 2022, victims of identity crime lost an average of about $2400 and spent 34 hours trying to restore their identity, according to Scamwatch.

People attending the events will be able to learn more about using strong passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication to secure their accounts, as well as what to do if their identity is compromised.

ID Support NSW will also raise awareness about the risks of identity theft and explain how to replace documents such as a driver licence, photo card or birth certificate if they are stolen or fraudulently obtained.

Representatives from the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) and Service NSW will join the ID Support NSW team to expand the hands-on support available to customers in regional communities.

BDM will be available to help people replace or register for birth certificates. Many people who live in regional or remote areas, including First Nations people, can face challenges when registering births if they don’t have access to the internet, experience language barriers or lack their own identification.

Birth certificates are an important proof of identity document used for essential services such as bank accounts, driver licences and school enrolments.

Service NSW staff will also be able to help people access digital solutions including setting up a MyServiceNSW Account or getting a digital driver licence.

Teams will also visit local Service NSW centres to operate pop-up booths where they can provide advice on how to spot a scam, run a credit check, make stronger passwords, access the ID Support NSW team and more.

The full list of dates and locations of the roadshow are available at: www.nsw.gov.au/id-support-nsw/id-support-nsw-community-events

Quotes attributable to Minister for Customer Service and Digital Jihad Dib:

“If anyone fears their identity has been stolen, ID Support NSW is the first call they need to make.”

“As more and more of us are using digital services, this roadshow is an opportunity to speak face to face with cyber security experts about protecting yourself against identity theft and how to know if you’ve been hacked.”

“Having your personal details compromised and identity stolen is incredibly distressing and can have serious consequences, so it’s important people know that ID Support NSW is there to help you minimise any potential harm as quickly and easily as possible.”

“Regardless of your background or where you live, every person in NSW should be able to use these resources and learn how to protect themselves online, and I hope that visiting this roadshow proves a great place to start.”