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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Josh Taylor Technology reporter

A Victorian schoolteacher was applying for ‘heaps of rentals’ online – then someone accessed his bank account

Man on computer with binary code surrounding him.
Millions of leasing documents in Australia held by rent platforms could be accessible online without any sort of authentication required, according to analysis of seven such services. Composite: Getty Images

Michael* has spent the past two months trying to get his digital identity back.

The 47-year-old Victorian schoolteacher was in the process of moving to a new town and applying for rental properties online. Around this time – and unbeknown to him – his mobile phone number was transferred to someone else.

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