IDENTITY THEFT

To reduce your chances of becoming an identity theft victim, follow these basic safety tips:

- Memorize your Social Insurance Number. Do not carry the SIN card with you

- Memorize your passwords. Don't record your passwords on papers you carry with you

- Don't use your date of birth as your password

- Always shred all pre-approved credit applications and other financial documents before discarding them

- Never giver personal or financial information over the phone or Internet, unless you were the one initiating the contact

- Order credit reports every year from each of the major credit reporting agencies and thoroughly review them for accuracy

- Report your lost or stolen credit cards immediately

- Check your monthly credit card and bank statements for unusual activity

- If you leave your computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day, use a firewall program

- Never download files sent to yoy by strangers. Never click on hyperlinks from people you don't know.

Identity theft refers to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.

Canadian and United States law enforcement agencies are seeing a growing trend in both countries towards greater use of identity theft as a means of furthering or facilitating other types of crime, from fraud to organized crime to terrorism. Increasingly, identity theft is a cross-border crime issue requiring collaboration of the international community. This public advisory highlights some of the most significant forms of identity theft in Canada and the United States, and explains how to recognize them and respond if you become a victim of identity theft.

Click on the links below to learn more.

Source: publicsafety.gc.ca