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The Privacy Commissioner of Canada describes identity theft as
“the unauthorized collection and use of personal information, usually
for criminal purposes.” Thousands of Canadians are victims of
identity theft every year. Thieves use your personal information to
open bank accounts, obtain credit cards, rent vehicles, obtain cellular
phones, and in some cases secure employment using your
name and Social Insurance Number (SIN).
Phone Busters website lists statistics for identity theft to date for
2003 at over $14 million, compared to 2002 when the total for the
year was just over $8 million. This is a clear indication that identity
theft is on the rise and very profitable to the criminals. Below is
a comparison chart for 2002 and 2003.
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2002
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Region |
Vitims |
Loss |
ON |
4031 |
$7,188,125.90 |
BC |
1046 |
$1,221,733.15 |
QC |
1646 |
$1,916,011.64 |
Canada |
8187 |
$11,786,843.44 |
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2002
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Region |
Vitims |
Loss |
ON |
5772 |
$12,682,218.64 |
BC |
1829 |
$1,808,318.45 |
QC |
3711 |
$4,246,801.90 |
TOTALS |
13359 |
$21,564,103.96 |
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Once an individual's identity has been “stolen” it can take months
— even years — to put things right, in addition to the financial
cost involved and in most cases, the loss of reputation.
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There are a number of ways of preventing
identity theft. The number one way is to
protect your personal information. There
are many avenues that a thief can steal
your personal information.
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For example:
1. STEALING GARBAGE — Many people place personal
information in the garbage, like bank statements, credit card
statements, receipts and insurance forms. All personal information
should be shredded prior to being tossed in the
garbage.
2. SECURE PERSONAL INFORMATION AT HOME — If
an individual has tenants, boarders or employs outside help
that works in the home, all personal information should be
secured in a locked drawer or safe inside the home. This
includes blank cheques, passports and Personal
Identification Number (PIN). Also, service people should
never be left alone while completing work inside the home.
3. BILLING CYCLES — Pay close attention to billing
cycles for credit card and utility bills. Bills that do not arrive
on time or at all could be an indication that a thief has taken
over the account and has changed the address to thwart
detection.
4. CREDIT REPORTS — Order a copy of individual credit
reports from both TransUnion and Equifax once a year to
ensure that the information reported is correct.
5. INTERNET — Be wary of personal information shared
and exchanged on the Internet when ordering products or
services. In addition, files sent from unknown persons should
not be opened. Opening files or hyperlinks could expose a
computer system to a virus or program that could hijack a
modem.
6. USE COMMON SENSE — Be particularly careful
about a Social Insurance Number (SIN). It is an important
key to identity.
If you are a victim of identity theft, report the crime to the
police immediately. Ensure the police give you a copy of the
police report to present to credit bureaus and credit card
companies when notifying them of the crime.
Contact Canada Post and the Passport Office if necessary,
Advise telephone, cable and utilities that someone is using
your name and could try to open account fraudulently.
Equifax Canada — report fraud — 1-800-465-7166
www.equifax.com/EFX_Canada
TransUnion — report fraud — (877) 525-3823
www.tuc.ca/TUCorp/home.asp
OPP Phone Busters 1-888-495-8501
Social Insurance Registration:
P.O. Box 7000, Bathhurst, NB E2A 4T1
1-800-206-7218 Select “3”
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