The business register is useful for fraudsters. It contains personal ID codes and phone numbers. Personal ID codes are public in Estonia.
Fraudsters use the internet to deceive people. They use Smart-ID or mobile-ID. They require PIN codes. They call people and try to deceive them.
Fraudsters obtain information from the black market. Stolen data is sold there.
The police say that fraudsters gained access to nearly 1,500 people's accounts. They used this data to defraud money.
Hiding personal ID codes would help reduce the possibility of fraud. Less data in the public space would make the fraudsters' job harder.
In Estonia, much data is public. The Ministry of Justice says that public data infringes fundamental rights.
Personal ID codes can become public with digital signatures. This verifies the validity of the document.
Politicians should decide on hiding personal ID codes.
The head of the State Information Agency says that everyone should be cautious against fraud.
Individuals themselves must be cautious.