Sadly, identification theft is on the rise in Canada. In 2023, over 11,000 instances of ID fraud had been reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). Fraud crimes are vastly underreported, so the overall is probably going a lot greater.
Id theft is not simply somebody combing by your paper mail for private data. That also occurs, however what’s extra doubtless now could be that your data is being stolen on-line by hacking or a phishing rip-off, the place you’re unknowingly giving a scammer private data. Right here’s what you want to know—plus tips on how to forestall additional ID theft.
What’s identification theft?
Id theft is when criminals steal your private or monetary data, like your social insurance coverage quantity (SIN), bank card quantity or checking account data, and use it to open new bank cards, apply for presidency advantages, make purchases, or entry your financial institution accounts and steal funds.
Beforehand, identification thieves operated primarily by stealing envelopes from mailboxes and going by recycling bins to seek out delicate paperwork. However criminals have expanded deep into the digital world. They typically use synthetic intelligence (AI) to focus on tons of or hundreds of individuals on the identical time, impersonating a authorities or financial institution official utilizing telephone calls, texts or emails to “phish” for private data. Scammers additionally use subtle digital instruments to hack accounts over public Wi-Fi, which means they will achieve entry to your financial institution accounts and extra. Anybody generally is a goal of identification theft.
How you can report identification theft in Canada
When you suspect your identification has been stolen, don’t anticipate verification—report the crime to your native police. When you consider your SIN has been stolen, report this to Service Canada by calling 1-866-274-6627. You must also contact the CAFC so it may compile statistics on how prevalent this downside is. Fill out data on-line within the Fraud Reporting System or contact the CAFC at 1-888-495-8501.
Then you want to contact the Canadian credit score bureaus, together with Equifax, to allow them to flag your file and notify you if anybody tries to open a bank card or take out a mortgage in your identify. Additionally pay shut consideration to your credit score scores and credit score reviews, additionally accessible by Equifax, for indicators of suspicious exercise.
sponsored
Equifax Full Safety
Equifax Full Safety is a credit score and cybersecurity safety service designed to assist Canadians spot the indicators of identification fraud sooner.
- Supplies each day credit score monitoring and alerts
- Scans to your private knowledge on the darkish internet
- Social media monitoring by trade chief ZeroFox
Subscription value: $34.95 per thirty days
It’s confirmed, your identification has been stolen—now what?
As soon as your identification has been stolen, you’re prone to be focused once more. When scammers steal somebody’s identification, they typically promote the information to a 3rd get together, who will attempt to contact the sufferer—they’re now seen as a simple goal for different crimes.
Chances are you’ll end up on the receiving finish of extra phishing scams from unsolicited numbers or faux financial institution staff. Plus, when you place protecting measures at your banks and credit score bureau, it might be more durable so that you can open a brand new account—you’ll have to undergo a number of verification checks. If the thief hurts your credit score rating by opening and utilizing bank cards, then it might even be difficult so that you can open new bank cards and apply for loans. And this may have an effect on your monetary life for a really very long time—presumably years.
