Protect your privacy

08 February 2016 - 02:10 By Wendy Knowler

Most consumers have wised up to the fact that they should never let their bank cards out of their sight and so no longer allow waiters to walk away from the table with their card.But most consumers aren't quite as protective of their IDs and other personal documents, allowing company employees, without questioning the company's privacy policies and procedures, to disappear with them to make copies.We should be asking these questions because identity fraud is rife: armed with our ID and other personal information, a fraudster can open accounts in our name, and go on a spending spree that we will be expected to pay for.Stacey Ellis-Clarke, of Pietermaritzburg, was appalled to discover that her account application form had been left in open sight at Mr Price's Midlands mall branch, a week after she'd filled it in.She applied in late November, and when she didn't get the promised "SMS in two to three days" she returned to the store and that's when she saw her original application form, sitting on the counter, in plain sight."This annoyed me, but what concerned me, and still does, is that all my personal information - ID, pay slips and bank statements - were missing."Nobody knew where they were, or why they had disappeared. I asked for the store manager's contact number and was refused."It being a Sunday, the shop's head office was closed and the staff on duty at the store were terribly rude and couldn't care less."Meanwhile my personal information is floating around in some unknown's possession."Before writing to In Your Corner, Ellis-Clarke did get a phone call from the store manager and the chain's risk manager."And despite their promise to deal personally and immediately with this serious issue," she said, "I have heard nothing since early December."This is incredibly serious, as my identity could be stolen and my bank account pilfered."She was right to be annoyed and afraid.Mr Price Money's operations executive, Colin Salvesen, was suitably appalled on being alerted to this case."We fell horribly short when dealing with Ms Ellis-Clarke's application," he said.Her documents were scanned but not returned to her, the scanned application was inexplicably not sent to the capturing department and so was not processed, and some of her documents were left in a very visible processing tray - all completely contrary to the company's policies.And the staff in question made the situation worse by their "unsatisfactory" responses and "this left a potential customer appalled at our service and lack of professionalism".Salvesen said from next month, Mr Price would start moving from the current paper-based application procedure to capturing and processing all new account applications electronically, via an iPad app.This is partly in order to comply with the handling of "sensitive" information provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act (see sidebar)Salvesen has since apologised to Ellis-Clarke verbally and in writing, and has initiated an audit of the processes currently in place at the store in question "for further intervention where necessary"."I trust that my explanation of our current processes, and future enhancements to these processes as outlined above, further entrench our commitment to our customers' safety and data privacy at the Mr Price Group," he said.It was an indeed an impressive "save".CONTACT WENDY:Email: consumer@knowler.co.zaTwitter: @wendyknowlerSecuring PrivacyThe Protection of Personal Information Act has been passed into law, but its commencement date has yet to be determined by proclamation in the Government Gazette. When it is, "responsible parties" will have a year to comply with its provisions."There is no doubt that South African organisations - as well as other 'responsible parties' - will need to take this piece of legislation very seriously, especially in light of the fact that our society has never really been one to take privacy that seriously," said corporate governance expert Terrance Booysen."Due to the broadness of this act, and considering the many people in a retail store who deal with customers' personal information on a daily basis, each employee will need to be on top of this legislation to ensure they are all protecting the customers' information," he said."The variables are vast, and just one error from one employee could result in disaster for both the employee and the organisation."What to doThe SA Fraud Prevention Service manages and hosts a shared fraud database on behalf of its credit provider members, such as Mr Price.Executive director Carol McLoughlin advises consumers when applying for credit to check that the staff member assisting them has the necessary level of authority and expertise, to record their name, and make sure that your ID book or card doesn't leave your sight.If your ID has been lost or stolen, contact the SA Fraud Prevention Service and ask for Protection Registration. It's a free service, which triggers an alert when someone presents their ID number and other personal details for a credit application. It means that you have to carry an alternative form of ID to prove you're the real deal, but it's worth the schlep. Call SAFPS on 0860-101-248.A reader writes:  Hi Wendy,Your article refers, especially “make sure that your ID book or card doesn't leave your sight”.My husband had his ID book copied, out of sight, at Exclusive Books last Saturday, despite my objections. Thanks for proving me RIGHT.Woolies used to do this as well, until I pointed out to management that my ID book was NOT going to be copied. Turns out Woolies was recycling such copies when they were done with them. I am glad that I put a stop to this. I also contacted Rob Short, of Exclusive Books, who has now also put a stop to the copying of ID books thing.And we have all had to Fica at the bank yet they too want to copy your ID. They don't seem to ''get the picture'' that they already have my photo and ID on record. Also, the many organisations – eg, the Joburg Ombudsman and banks who want the ID number AND bank account number to be emailed - are surely exposing customers to needless risk.I may have only one university degree, but I studied criminology.F Jones..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.