Arab Bank Australia Limited (ABAL) wants to ensure our community is informed about relevant cyberattacks that occurred in 2026. A prominent one is the Origin Energy data breach which occurred in July 2026. This cybersecurity incident resulted in the unauthorised access and theft of personal information belonging to approximately 900,000 current and former Origin Energy customers across Australia.
If you are an Origin Energy customer, fragments of your personal information—including names, dates of birth, account details, and partial financial data—may have been compromised.
Customers can safeguard their finances by maintaining strict security practices:
- Be vigilant with phone calls and SMS: Do not trust a caller simply because they read out your personal details (like your date of birth, address, or partial card numbers).
- Watch for password alerts: If you receive a notification stating your password or login details have been altered, treat it as an early sign of a cyber attack. Do not click any links in the message. Verify your access by typing the official web address directly into your browser window.
- Monitor your mobile service: Be alert to sudden, unexplained mobile network drops or phone indicators displaying "SOS Only" or "Emergency Calls Only". This may mean a criminal is attempting a SIM-swap scam. Contact your mobile provider immediately from an alternate phone if this occurs.
- Activate Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Ensure two-factor or multi-factor authentication is active across your email, mobile, and banking accounts.
If you are concerned that your personal data was compromised in the leak, please contact Origin Energy directly to verify what information was exposed and check their official security channels for mitigation steps.
For further independent support and identity protection resources, we encourage you to use these official services:
- Scamwatch – Run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to help consumers identify, avoid, and report active scams.
- ID Care – Australia's national identity and cyber support service, providing free specialist advice to mitigate identity theft damage.
- ACSC – The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) leads the Australian Government’s efforts to improve cyber security. It provides advice and information on how to protect yourself and your business online.