How to Prevent Identity Theft in Canada

Canadian credit agencies report that over 2000 people per month have had their identities and personal information stolen or compromised in some way. However, there are some things you can do to keep your personal and financial information from being stolen and abused by others.

Get Identity Theft Shield BEFORE you have a problem

Get and read your credit report
Under Canadian law, you are entitled to one free credit report from each of the major reporting agencies every year, and every time you are denied credit. Take advantage of this law. When you get your credit report, you should examine it carefully for inquiries that you didn’t make, applications for service that you did not apply for, and address changes that you did not authorize. These could be simple mistakes (which you would want to correct, anyway), but they could be signs of an identity thief who is trying to co-opt your credit. If you do see any of these signs, contact you’re the credit company and your local police immediately.

Keep your documents secure
If you are going out, leave personal documents at home unless you are sure you will need them. In most cases, you will not need your social insurance card or your passport, so do not bring them with you; they can provide very useful information to thieves. Do not leave cheques in plain sight in your car, and only carry the credit cards you plan to use. If you use an ATM or purchase things with your debit card, cover the keypad when you put in your PIN, look around to see if someone is watching you too closely, and stay in high-traffic, well-lighted areas. If someone asks you to scan your credit or debit card into two different machines, decline to do so, since the second one is simply recording your information for later use.

At home, you should take the same kinds of precautions. Identity theft can happen when thieves take your personal documents from your trash or from your mail box. Some of the most popular of these documents are pre-approved credit card offers—the thief can simply take this, apply in your name, but change the address so that “your” credit card now goes to them. These offers should be shredded, or torn apart and thrown away in different trash containers. The same is true of any documents with your social insurance number or other confidential information on them.

Be computer savvy
Computer hackers come up with ever more clever ways of getting your personal information from you. They may say that they represent your bank or your internet provider, and require your password or bank number. Legitimate companies do not do this, so never give this information out on line. However, some of these solicitations look very real, so if you are in doubt, call or email your company to ask them if the offer is legitimate. Make your passwords difficult to decode, and never use easy information such as names or birthdays.

Get Identity Theft Shield BEFORE you have a problem