4- Carry minimal personal information. Memorize your passwords and PINs and never carry them with you.
5- Don't leave mail in the box overnight and don't mail your bills from unprotected curbside mailboxes or personal mailboxes. You don't want them falling into the wrong hands.
6- Pay attention to billing cycles. If you don't receive your bills on time, follow up with your creditors; an identity thief may have taken over your account and changed the billing address.
7- When ordering cheques, have them sent to your bank to be picked up; reduces the risk of having them stolen from your mailbox.
8- Be stingy with your personal information, and never give personal information in response to emails. The less information you give out about yourself, the more secure the information will be.
9- Don't give out your SIN to anyone but the government, your employer, or when you apply for credit or a loan.
10-Do close unused credit card accounts.
11- Check your monthly credit card statements, savings, chequing, and investment account statements regularly. You'll be able to detect whether someone else is charging on your card.
12- Opt out of preapproved credit card applications by calling the toll-free number, 888-567-8688.
13- Purchase a credit monitoring service from one of the national credit bureaus. You'll be able to detect whether your identity has been stolen.
14- When using your ATM card, stand directly in front of the screen and cover the keypad with one hand as you enter your PIN. Watch for people lurking around; if you don't feel comfortable, don't use that machine.
15- Purchase identity theft coverage from your insurance broker.
Identity Theft coverage reimburses your identity restoration expenses up to an amount specified by the insurance company, as a result of an identity fraud occurrence.
Contact us for more information or call 1-800-419-3723
