LETHBRIDGE – Local law enforcement and the Alberta Motor Association are fighting back against identity theft by encouraging you to shred your documents.
A public shredding event took place in Lethbridge on Saturday as part of Fraud Prevention Month.
“Once they have your name, address, date of birth, they can apply to a lot of things for stealing your identity,” says Sgt. Blaine Stodolka of the Lethbridge Regional Police Service.
It’s believed the LRPS receive at least one report of someone’s identity being stolen every week.
Crime prevention experts say you should shred or burn your documents on an annual basis, but preventing your identity from being stolen today is much more complicated.
“Ten years ago, what most criminals would do is break into your house or dumpster dive,” says Wendy Mah, AMA Crime Prevention Coordinator. “Now all they need is financial information or online passwords.”
“If people get ahold of a password, they can get in your accounts and get the same information as if it was on paper,” says Sgt. Stodolka.
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By the time you notice, it could be too late.
“We’ve had people with accounts wiped, morgages out in their names,” says Mah. “The victim can spend up to 600 hours trying to clean it up.”
Identity theft prevention tips, courtesy of the Alberta Motor Association:
These tips will help you protect your private information:
– Don’t leave purses or wallets in your vehicle, even if they are hidden.
– Don’t carry your SIN card or birth certificate in your wallet.
– Don’t carry PINs or other passwords with you.
– Change your PINs regularly.
– Don’t use obvious passwords like birth dates or phone numbers for PINs.
– Shred all paper with sensitive information – credit card statements, receipts, etc.
– Ask why, if someone asks for your Social Insurance Number.
– Sign all new credit cards received immediately.
Secure your mail
– Don’t write your account numbers on the outside of billing envelopes.
– Keep a lock on your residential mailbox.
– Check with the post office if your mail delivery stops or changes suddenly.
Secure your accounts
– Order a credit report as least once a year.
– Check your account statements regularly for unexplained charges.
– Read all bills carefully and report irregularities.
– Register credit cards with a protection agency and display their stickers on your cards.
– Don’t key bank or credit account numbers on a cell phone without encryption technology.
– Use a separate credit card with a low limit for vacations, video store memberships, online ordering, etc.
– Don’t leave printed receipts behind at bank machines or gas pumps.
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