Global credit bureau services provider Experian has launched its proprietary internet surveillance technology CyberAgent in Australia and New Zealand.

The launch of the CyberAgent solution in the Australian market comes just four months after the company announced its acquisition of Australian fintech startup Look Who’s Charging.¹

Designed specifically for international protection of online records, Experian says more than 3.5 billion compromised records have been detected globally by CyberAgent to date, with companies “across financial services, telecommunications, retail and many more offering their customers this unrivalled suite of customer identity protection services”.

“If your personal information gets into the hands of hackers, it can be used to access and use your credit cards, take out loans and mortgages in your name, open new bank accounts and more,” says Experian’s Head of Fraud and ID A/NZ, Karine Smyth.

“The dark web is a hidden network of websites that requires special resources for access. CyberAgent not only has access to the network, but also continuously monitors the dark web, notifying consumers if and when we find their personal information is being compromised. Essentially, we are empowering consumers to react quickly and proactively to protect themselves from identity theft and fraudulent activity.  “Experian is leveraging our global capabilities to help Australian businesses fight the battle of fraud and identity theft,” Ms Smyth explained. “Fraud is a growing, lucrative industry with organised criminals trying to find bridges to Australian and New Zealand business’ and consumers’ personal information. It is crucial to protect individuals and our businesses,” Smyth concluded.“Australian and New Zealand businesses need to be protecting their customers personal information as a priority, in order to maintain customer trust and retention.

According to Experian, six million online records globally are breached every day, including personal information such as telephone numbers and email addresses – and “by monitoring thousands of websites and millions of data points on the dark web, CyberAgent proactively detects compromised confidential records”.

Experian says its CyberAgent online portal solution is able to break language barriers and uncover identity theft across the globe by searching the dark web for:

  • National Identity Numbers
  • Email addresses
  • Telephone numbers
  • Medical ID numbers (i.e Medicare and private health numbers)
  • Bank Account and routing numbers
  • Credit/debit card numbers
  • Drivers licence numbers
  • Passport numbers
  • Retail credit numbers

Source:  ITWIRE.com

¹Experian Australia & New Zealand acquired in August 2019 “Look Who’s Charging”, the Australian fintech startup which has solved the everyday frustrating problem of unrecognised bank transactions by providing instant clarification on the merchant behind a transaction.