Identity Theft

Identity theft is when someone attempts to steal your identity by using your personal information without your consent. The information is used to commit a crime or a fraud.

Information that would commonly be used would be names, addresses, phone numbers, social insurance numbers, driver’s license information, banking and credit card information and so on.

You need to protect your personal information at all times whenever you are conducting any kind of transactions, be it over the internet, over the phone or at a branch.

• Before you reveal any personal information, find out how it will be used and if it will be shared.
• Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time.
• Guard your mail. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office . Remove mail from your mailbox after delivery. Ensure mail is forwarded or re-routed if you move or change your mailing address.
• Put passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your birth date, the last four digits of your SIN or your phone number.
• Minimize the identification information and number of cards you carry.
• Do not give out personal information on the phone, through mail or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know with whom you're dealing.
• Keep items with personal information in a safe place. An identity thief will pick through your garbage or recycling bins. Be sure to tear or shred receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements and credit offers you get in the mail.
• Give your Social Insurance Number (SIN) only when absolutely necessary. Ask to use other types of identification when possible.
• Don't carry your SIN card; leave it in a secure place.

Specifically for online transactions, you should keep the following in mind:

• Know who you’re dealing with.
• Use common sense and be aware of potential security leaks. You wouldn’t give information to just anyone in the off-line world. Apply the same discretion online.
• Change your passwords regularly, use hard-to-guess passwords (e.g. using a combination of letters and numbers), and never share your password with anyone.
• Look for a company’s privacy policy or link to its privacy statement when you visit its Web site. Pay attention to what information the company gathers, how it’s used, and with whom it’s shared.
• Always ensure you’re in a safe environment. Look for the closed-lock or unbroken-key icons on your browser when entering your credit card number or other sensitive data. If you don’t see the unbroken key or closed lock, or if the key is broken or the padlock is open, your transaction is not being securely transmitted across the Internet. When you send messages insecurely, someone outside of the organization you are sending to could intercept your information.
• Clear the cache of your browser after visiting secure sites. This will ensure that nobody else can view any confidential information you may have transmitted.
• Be familiar with the encryption level of your browser and what it means to your privacy. Many businesses require that you use 128-bit encryption to access secure Web sites. Update your Web browser on a frequent basis to ensure you are using the latest browser technology and the highest encryption level.
• Install and maintain a firewall to guard against unwanted access to your computer.
• Install and frequently update proven anti-virus software.
• Use caution if you receive e-mail from a business or person requesting personal information. Be suspicious of e-mails that direct you to Web sites that request your password, Social Insurance Number, or other highly sensitive information. You may wish to call the organization to verify the legitimacy of the request.
• Use care when downloading files from the Internet and installing programs. Also, take care when reading e-mail with attachments – e-mail is often used to transmit viruses.

Additional tips for online banking:

• Ensure the “memorize passwords function” or “auto-complete” is disabled when conducting online banking.
• Never walk away from your computer without properly signing out from online banking.
• Review monthly financial statements promptly and report any discrepancies to your bank immediately.