Sadly, identification theft is on the rise in Canada. In 2023, over 11,000 instances of ID fraud have been reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC). Fraud crimes are vastly underreported, so the overall is probably going a lot increased.
Identification theft is now not simply somebody combing by means of your paper mail for private info. That also occurs, however what’s extra doubtless now could be that your info is being stolen on-line by means of hacking or a phishing rip-off, the place you’re unknowingly giving a scammer private info. Right here’s what it is advisable to know—plus learn how to forestall additional ID theft.
What’s identification theft?
Identification theft is when criminals steal your private or monetary info, like your social insurance coverage quantity (SIN), bank card quantity or checking account info, 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 means of recycling bins to search out delicate paperwork. However criminals have expanded deep into the digital world. They usually use synthetic intelligence (AI) to focus on a whole lot or hundreds of individuals on the similar time, impersonating a authorities or financial institution official utilizing telephone calls, texts or emails to “phish” for private info. Scammers additionally use refined digital instruments to hack accounts over public Wi-Fi, that means they will acquire entry to your financial institution accounts and extra. Anybody is usually a goal of identification theft.
The best way to report identification theft in Canada
Should you suspect your identification has been stolen, don’t watch for verification—report the crime to your native police. Should 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 could compile statistics on how prevalent this drawback is. Fill out info on-line within the Fraud Reporting System or contact the CAFC at 1-888-495-8501.
Then it is advisable 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 title. Additionally pay shut consideration to your credit score scores and credit score experiences, additionally accessible by means of 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 quicker.
- Offers day by day credit score monitoring and alerts
- Scans on your private information on the darkish internet
- Social media monitoring by business chief ZeroFox
Subscription worth: $34.95 monthly
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 usually promote the information to a 3rd get together, who will attempt to contact the sufferer—they’re now seen as a straightforward goal for different crimes.
You might end up on the receiving finish of extra phishing scams from unsolicited numbers or pretend financial institution workers. Plus, when you place protecting measures at your banks and credit score bureau, it could be more durable so that you can open a brand new account—you could have to undergo a number of verification checks. If the thief hurts your credit score rating by opening and utilizing bank cards, then it could even be difficult so that you can open new bank cards and apply for loans. And this could have an effect on your monetary life for a really very long time—presumably years.
