By Talaia Mika, Cook Islands News
The police continue to urge the public to exercise caution and ensure that lost personal items are handled securely and appropriately to prevent any risk of identity theft or fraud. Photo: YURI ARCURS PRODUCTIONS
This follows several occurrences where people have shared such information online, often unaware of the risks it poses to the owners of these items.
Police spokesperson Trevor Pitt emphasised that while there is no immediate confirmation of an offence, the safest course of action is to utilise the police for lost and found properties.
"The advice is sound because the safest bet is to utilise the Police in terms of lost and found properties, especially in terms of drivers' licences. We have the database (locally issued that is). Registering items with Police provides an important time frame as this could be telling in cases of identity theft or fraud," Pitt said.
According to Pitt, items might've appeared to have been lost (by accident) but could well have been dumped by thieves or burglars and reporting to the police allows such items to be checked against reported incidents.
He further advised that finders should return such items to the police headquarters to avoid any potential unlawful activity, whether intentional or not.
"So far this month, we've had six recorded lost properties, including passports and phones," he noted.
The warning comes in response to a social media post by Rarotonga resident Martin Burr, who urged members of the public not to share photos of lost personal items on social media.
In a post on the Rarotonga - Community and Beyond page, Burr wrote: "If you do happen to find someone's wallet with debit card, credit card, driver's license, or any other document with personal information, please do not post a photo on here of the card or document. This is a breach of their privacy."
"Depending on who is lurking on this page, this could also be used by scammers to impersonate that person in order to gain unlawful access to their data for financial gain."
Burr also offered practical steps for handling lost items: bank cards should be returned to the respective bank or reported using the number on the back of the card, while all other items should be handed over to the police.
He encouraged people to post only a description of the found item and indicate that it had been turned in to authorities.
"Before posting anything on here, think if you would want this to be on a billboard if it was your information instead. If the answer is no, don't post it," Burr wrote.
"Let's work together to keep people's private information private."
Pitt acknowledged that Burr's advice aligns with the police's recommendations and suggested that the online community take heed.
"If he was an administrator of the page, then the RCB (Rarotonga Community and Beyond Facebook page) is entitled to set their own boundaries. If not, what is outlined makes good sense anyway. RCB might want to heed that advice," Pitt said.
While the police have not received any formal complaints regarding such posts, Pitt noted that legal confirmation on potential breaches would need to be assessed by their lawyers.
The police continue to urge the public to exercise caution and ensure that lost personal items are handled securely and appropriately to prevent any risk of identity theft or fraud.
-This story was first published by Cook Islands News.
