that looks like a communication from
your bank or credit card company.
“If you receive what I call ‘unsolicited contact,’ as in they contacted you
first, don’t reply or click on the link,”
Allen advises. Instead, visit your bank
branch with a printout of the email, or
call your credit card company at the
number on the back of your card.
Other mass-marketing fraud (a.k.a.
phishing) scams include emails from
strangers telling you that you’ve inherited a fortune or won the lottery—and
the sender needs your banking information to arrange the transaction,
or for you to pay a delivery charge.
“Don’t take anything at face value,”
Allen says.
The first step in guarding against
identity fraud is being aware of how it
can happen. Then, take a good look at
everything in your wallet and determine if an item—such as your SIN
card—really needs to be in there. You
should also check your credit report
to make sure it’s accurate and to see
which lenders have accessed it. You’re
entitled to one free check per year
from companies such as Equifax and
TransUnion, and you can also pay for
ongoing credit monitoring to get alerts
if your report changes.
Shredding items such as bills,
receipts, RRSP statements and even
more harmless documents like loyalty
program statements (they can be used
to initiate fraud) is another easy way to
keep your personal info from getting
out. Monthly bills, including credit
cards or utilities, should be destroyed
once they’ve been reconciled. For more
details on what to shred and when, see
ama.ab.ca/Shredding.
And always trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel right, contact the
company directly to make certain the
message really came from them.
To protect your identity, the best
thing you can do is limit other people’s
access to it, whether in person, online
or over the phone. Don’t provide information unless you know it’s necessary.
Then make sure you learn how your
details will be handled.
“I don’t want to scare people so
much that they stop living,” Allen says,
“but they have to be more cautious
than they are now.”
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