Some Optus customers have been told for the first time since the data breach that their drivers licence number has been exposed.
Customers received an email from Optus last night saying the telco provider could "now confirm" that their "Driver Licence number was exposed".
"Please note that this did not include a copy of your licence or photo identification," the email said.
For some customers, it was the first time they had been told by Optus that their personal information had been exposed during the data breach.
Julia (who has opted not to use her full name) was one of the people to receive an email yesterday, confirming her that her drivers licence number had been exposed but had never been told she was caught up in the leak.
"There was no previous communication at all," she said.
"I really did not know what that involved, so I was quite alarmed."
Josh Edwards, a producer at ABC Radio Brisbane, told the Mornings programme he was shocked to receive the email.
"Obviously Optus had told all their customers in the past that if you were part of this hack, and if your data had been exposed, that they would contact you," he said.
"I hadn't received any emails, so I searched my emails last night to see if I had previously received an email from Optus. I hadn't.
"I checked my Optus app to see if there were any messages within the app — nothing — so I was pretty taken aback to be honest."
Customers rush to replace licence
Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) usually processes about 30 licences a week but since the data breach it has received about 48,000 replacement licence applications.
TMR general manager of Land Transport and Safety Andrew Mahon told ABC Radio Brisbane yesterday the department was processing replacements as efficiently as possible but it may take longer than the usual two-week wait to receive a new licence.
Since it emerged that drivers licence numbers had been leaked during the data breach last month, people have rushed to replace their licences at transport departments around the country.
An ABC Radio Brisbane listener said she had been waiting at the Kippa Ring TMR for 30 minutes with 100 people in the queue this morning.
"I must say the staff at TMR are mindful, they keep coming out and giving us information," she said.
She said the uncertainty of how her personal information was "concerning".
