Piles of confidential ANZ bank documents found 'floating down the street' after they were carelessly dumped in a skip bin on a busy street
Piles of confidential ANZ bank documents found 'floating down the street' after they were carelessly dumped in a skip bin on a busy street
Documents with customer personal details found on street
The papers were thrown in a skip bin during renovations
ANZ said it had procedures to usually shred documents
By BRETT LACKEY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
PUBLISHED: 23:49, 28 February 2023 | UPDATED: 23:57, 28 February 2023
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Piles of confidential documents containing the personal details of ANZ customers have been found thrown in a skip bin on a busy street by someone walking by.
Scott Collins, 26, was walking near Armadale Central Shopping Centre, in Perth's south-east, when he noticed the papers overflowing from the bins which were being used in renovations.
He said they included bank statements, letters and internal communications that showed customer account numbers, personal details, emails, phone numbers and transaction histories.
'I was just coming from work... I managed to find these documents floating down the street,' he told 9News.
'If these were mine I would be outraged... Anyone could have found these.'
Scott Collins found bundles of the documents 'floating down the street' after they were discarded whole in a skip bin (pictured)
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Scott Collins found bundles of the documents 'floating down the street' after they were discarded whole in a skip bin (pictured)
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The bins were filled with debris after the local ANZ branch close its doors and the office was being cleaned out ready for another tenant.
'These banks make billions in profit and they can't afford a shredder... they've obviously learnt nothing form the Optus and Medibank data breaches,' he said.
Mr Collins said that the next nearest branch was now 20 minutes away which was particularly difficult for elderly residents in the area.
Under new Australian legislation introduced in late 2022 , companies which repeatedly fail to protect customers' private data can be fined up to $50million.
'When Australians are asked to hand over their personal data they have a right to expect it will be protected,' Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.
'It's not enough for a penalty for a major data breach to be seen as the cost of doing business,' he added.
A spokesperson for ANZ said the bank has strict processes in place for discarding private information including locked bins and shredding services.
It is not known why the procedure wasn't followed with these documents.
ANZ Managing Director, Retail, Katherine Bray said ANZ 'takes the security of our customers' information and our obligations under the law seriously'.
'When we close a branch we have strict processes in place to securely dispose of ANZ documents, including those that contain customer information.
'This process is closely supervised by our staff and includes a detailed inspection of the premises.
'We are sorry this has occurred and are urgently investigating to understand what has happened in this instance.'
It's understood ANZ has now recovered the documents and has contacted those customers involved.
Documents with customer personal details found on street
The papers were thrown in a skip bin during renovations
ANZ said it had procedures to usually shred documents
By BRETT LACKEY FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA
PUBLISHED: 23:49, 28 February 2023 | UPDATED: 23:57, 28 February 2023
6
shares
9
View comments e-mail
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+99Home
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Piles of confidential documents containing the personal details of ANZ customers have been found thrown in a skip bin on a busy street by someone walking by.
Scott Collins, 26, was walking near Armadale Central Shopping Centre, in Perth's south-east, when he noticed the papers overflowing from the bins which were being used in renovations.
He said they included bank statements, letters and internal communications that showed customer account numbers, personal details, emails, phone numbers and transaction histories.
'I was just coming from work... I managed to find these documents floating down the street,' he told 9News.
'If these were mine I would be outraged... Anyone could have found these.'
Scott Collins found bundles of the documents 'floating down the street' after they were discarded whole in a skip bin (pictured)
+3
View gallery
Scott Collins found bundles of the documents 'floating down the street' after they were discarded whole in a skip bin (pictured)
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The bins were filled with debris after the local ANZ branch close its doors and the office was being cleaned out ready for another tenant.
'These banks make billions in profit and they can't afford a shredder... they've obviously learnt nothing form the Optus and Medibank data breaches,' he said.
Mr Collins said that the next nearest branch was now 20 minutes away which was particularly difficult for elderly residents in the area.
Under new Australian legislation introduced in late 2022 , companies which repeatedly fail to protect customers' private data can be fined up to $50million.
'When Australians are asked to hand over their personal data they have a right to expect it will be protected,' Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said.
'It's not enough for a penalty for a major data breach to be seen as the cost of doing business,' he added.
A spokesperson for ANZ said the bank has strict processes in place for discarding private information including locked bins and shredding services.
It is not known why the procedure wasn't followed with these documents.
ANZ Managing Director, Retail, Katherine Bray said ANZ 'takes the security of our customers' information and our obligations under the law seriously'.
'When we close a branch we have strict processes in place to securely dispose of ANZ documents, including those that contain customer information.
'This process is closely supervised by our staff and includes a detailed inspection of the premises.
'We are sorry this has occurred and are urgently investigating to understand what has happened in this instance.'
It's understood ANZ has now recovered the documents and has contacted those customers involved.
