How to prevent identity theft

Be prepared
• In addition to names, addresses and phone numbers, thieves look for documents containing social insurance numbers, driver's licence numbers, credit card and banking information, bank cards, calling cards, birth certificates and passports.

• At home, store your birth certificate in a safe place along with other valuable documents, including your passport; shred documents after they expire.

• Review your monthly statements. Review the balances on your statements from banks, credit cards and companies regularly and report any discrepancies right away. If your bills do not arrive, or you applied for a new credit card that has not arrived, call the credit grantor immediately.

Take care while away
• If you are going to be away from home, ask a trusted neighbour to pick up your mail, or go to your local post office (with identification) and ask for their hold-mail service.

• Keep a close eye on your credit cards. Always check to see that the credit card you get back after it is used is your own.

Protect yourself
• Be wary of giving out any personal information over the telephone unless you have placed the call yourself or know the business. Never tell anyone the password you use at the automated teller machine (ATM), and be sure no one is watching when you use an ATM.

• Do not use e-mail to send personal information. Think about creating "disposable" e-mail addresses for online purchases, masking your address or using a unique e-mail address. After completing any sort of financial transaction online, make sure you sign out of the website and clear your Internet file/cache.

Safeguard credit card information
• Do not give a credit card number or other identification information to a company that does not provide their name, business address, telephone number and e-mail address.

• Display limited personal information on your cheques.

• Pay cash when you can.

• If your wallet or computer is stolen, cancel all cards and change all passwords.

• Keep a list of all account numbers and identification documents, and emergency contact info for each one.

Who you gonna call?
• Equifax Credit Information Services, Consumer Fraud Division, 1-800-465-7166
• TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department, 1-877-525-3823, (for residents of Quebec) 1-877-713-3393.