Personal Safety & Asset Protection

It is important to protect yourself against identity theft and ensure that your personal information remains private. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your knowledge or consent to commit a crime, such as fraud or theft.

Personal Information Protection Tips

• Store cards and documents - birth certificates, social insurance numbers and passports - containing personal information in a secure place, and shred them after they expire.
• Review balances on your bank and credit card statements and keep track of all your purchases.
• Once a year, get a copy of your credit report from the two national credit Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada. 
• If you are going to be away from home, ask a trusted neighbour to pick up your mail or go to your local post office (with identification) and ask for Canada Post's "hold mail" service.
• Don't carry all your cards and documents with you, only bring what you need.
• Avoid giving personal information out over the telephone unless you placed the call yourself.
• Don't tell anyone your banking machine password and make sure no one is watching when you use an automated machine.

Personal Information Online

• Be wary of computer start-up software that asks for registration information or websites that ask for personal information.
• Don't use email to send personal information.
• Beware of internet promotions that ask for personal information
• Clear your internet cache/ history after completing a financial transaction online and sign out of the website.
• Make sure any website you give your credit card number to is a secure site. Look for a lock symbol on the browser or make sure the URL begins with https://
• Beware of phoney investment schemes sent by email/ websites.
• Teach children to keep their identity unknown in chat rooms and choose screennames that do not identify them.
• Use virus protection, anti-spyware and firewall software and update it regularly.

For more information on protecting your personal information visit the Ministry of Consumer Services website.