Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft in Canada

It seems like every day we hear more horror stories of lives being disrupted because of identity theft. It is one of the fastest growing crimes in North America, and thousands of people very month are left to pick up the pieces after criminals shatter their credit history and financial security.

Protect Yourself today with Identity Theft Shield Canada

There are measures you can take to protect yourself from becoming a victim. The information you want to protect includes your age, full name, income, ethnic origin, medical information including blood type and illnesses, opinions, credit history, work or school evaluations, and mother’s maiden name (which is often used as identity confirmation). You also want to protect employee files, loan records, tax records, and all credit card numbers.

Some methods for protecting yourself against identity theft include:

• Identity theft insurance. For a minimal fee, you can buy an insurance policy that will repay any debts that you are left holding in the event that someone steals your identity. Some of these plans include reimbursement for lost work days and legal fees and representatives who will deal with creditors on your behalf.
  
• Review bank and credit card policies. Some banks and credit card companies refuse to tell customers if their personal information has been compromised, and if it has, how, where and when this happened. In fact, 44% of Canadians do not think institutions are doing enough to protect customers and their money. But remember, this is your account and your money. Make it clear to bank or credit card managers that you have a right to all information concerning your money. If they continue to refuse, consider switching to an institution that practices higher accountability.
  
• PIPEDA. This stands for the Personal Identity Protection and Electronic Documents Act. It is legislation mandating certain rules for how businesses, including employers, treat your personal information. Before you give any personal or confidential information to any business, agency, or organization, as the manager whether they are PIPEDA-complaint. If they are, they will get your consent before they use your personal information, they will always allow you to access your own information, they will only use your personal information for the reasons you gave it to them, and they will keep the information safe, either in locked files or protected computer programs.
  
• Computer security. Make sure your computer is protected with anti-viral software, a firewall, anti-spyware, and registry cleaner. Hackers use viruses, spyware and other destructive techniques to cull personal information from your hard drive, which they can then use for their own purposes. Make sure all your accounts are password protected, and never use obvious passwords such as names or birthdays. If you do banking or other financial transactions online, make sure always to sign out when you are done—anybody can get into your open accounts.
  
  Identify theft is a hurtful crime that takes its toll on thousands of people every year. With some precautions, you can protect yourself, your credit and your reputation against this crime.
  
  Protect Yourself today with Identity Theft Shield Canada