Optus has revealed that almost 37,000 Medicare numbers were compromised in the data breach. 7NEWS
The telco says it is working with the Australian Federal Police to determine how the data was breached, which limits it from commenting.
The telco has offered the “most affected customers” a one-year subscription to credit monitoring software Equifax at no cost. Most state and territory governments are offering free replacements for driver’s licences while the federal government is calling on Optus to pay for replacement passports. “There are two things to consider here - one which is what does the law say on this issue? And the law says that they don’t have to offer compensation,” she said.The Labor government says Optus should pay when it comes to the replacement cost of a new passport.“We know that a large number of people have been affected and that this is a serious breach in the type of information that’s been breached, it’s not just something that’s easily changeable like your username or your password,” Bower said.