Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes today. Criminals gather personal information about their victims and then clear out their bank accounts, or take out loans or credit cards in their victims' names.

To protect yourself from identity theft, keep your personal information secure. Don’t share personal information, especially over the phone, unless it’s absolutely necessary. This includes your social insurance number, bank account and credit card numbers and passwords. Even apparently innocent information, like your full name or driver’s license number, can be exploited by identity thieves.

There are some simple steps to take to protect yourself; for example, when you dispose of documents that contain personal information, shred them first.

To learn more about identify theft and how you can protect yourself, see:

• Fraud and Identity Theft from Victims Info
• Information Security Awareness from the Ministry of Citizen Services and Open Government
• Identity Theft and You from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada