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Personal & Home Safety
Preventing Identity Theft
One of the fastest growing types of fraud is identity theft.Identity theft occurs when a dishonest person uses your personal or credit card information without your knowledge or consent to impersonate you to open credit card or bank accounts, obtain cash or rent vehicles or otherwise take advantage of your credit rating. Any type of identity fraud can ruin your credit rating.
Here are some suggestions to reduce the chances that you will become a victim of identity fraud:
- Be aware that when you post personal information and/or photos on the Web, you are sharing the information with the Whole Wide World! Use a pseudonym (a.k.a. username) that does not indicate your gender, age or location.
- Take precautions when performing on-line transactions. Be sure the site is secure, a privacy policy is posted and the company is known to be reputable. Never give out your phone number, address or SIN number on the Internet.
- Get to know your billing schedule. Late arrivals of statements and bills may indicate that your mail is being stolen or re-directed. Contact the issuer of the statements to see if they are delayed. Someone may have submitted a change of address card to Canada Post and had your mail diverted or your mail may have been stolen. If you suspect your mail has been stolen, notify the police and get a police file number, call Canada Post and call your bank and credit card companies to have them check your accounts and credit cards for any suspicious activity. Also call the Credit Bureaus (Trans Union at 1 877 525-3823 and Equifax at 1 800 465-7166) to report the theft.
- Shred your credit card and banking statements when you no longer need them.
- Never disclose your PIN (Personal Identification Number) to anyone.
- Keep an up-to-date inventory of your ID. Consider making photocopies of the front and back sides and keep the copies in a safe place. If you lose or have your identification stolen, notify the issuer and file a police report.
