INN8 is aware that the credit bureau Experian, which provides credit data to many financial services institutions, was impacted by a data breach recently.

Experian is investigating the external breach of information and is working closely with the authorities and is supported by the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC), the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA), and the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS).

The compromise of personal information can create opportunities for criminals to impersonate you but does not mean that they have automatically gained access to your investment profile or accounts. However, criminals may use this information to attempt to trick you into disclosing your confidential banking details.

INN8 takes the protection of our clients’ personal and financial information very seriously and will continue to ensure that we have measures in place to mitigate this risk. As always, vigilance is important and we urge you to take the following additional precautions to safeguard your personal information:

• Change your passwords regularly and never share them with anyone else. Ensure that passwords are strong and not the same across platforms
• Verify all requests for personal information and only provide it when there is a legitimate reason to do so
• Avoid using public computers for financial transactions
• Ensure that your personal computers have updated anti-virus software tools
• Regulary check that your information with institutions is updated. This refers to your cell phone numbers and email addresses specifically as financial services use these to confirm transactions
• Contact your financial services institution should you suspect any activity that may be untoward or if you suspect that your account or details have been compromised
• Do not disclose personal information such as passwords and PINs when asked to do so by anyone via telephone, fax, text message, or even email
• Register with SAFPS for protective registration - if anyone tries to apply for banking products with your ID, it will be declined or referred for further review. To do this contact SAFPS at protection@safps.org.za, SMS the word “Protectid” to 43366 or go to https://www.safps.org.za/Home/OurServices_ApplyProtectiveRegistration 

Should you require assistance, please contact your financial adviser or INN8 directly on hello@inn8.co.za.