Least concerned are people from the Prairies, Atlantic Canada
Peter Wilson
Sun
Identity theft is a worry for 70 per cent of British Columbians, more than in any other Canadian province, according to an online survey released Thursday.
Yet 24 per cent of respondents say they still don’t take the precaution of shredding their personal documents before putting them in the trash, according to the survey done for Royal and Sunalliance Insurance Company of Canada.
That compares with a reported national average of almost a third of Canadians who don’t bother to shred, despite the fact that two million Canadians have already been victims of identity theft.
Least worried in Canada about identity theft were those on the Prairies and in Atlantic Canada.
Other findings on British Columbians surveyed included:
– 80 per cent wouldn’t know where to start or what to do if their identity was stolen, almost on the mark with the national average of 78 per cent.
(Royal and Sunalliance just happen to offer a get-your-identity-back service in their home insurance policies, which just might have something to do with this question being asked.)
– 29 per cent keep their PIN number somewhere at home, instead of memorizing it, higher than the national average of 25 per cent.
– 28 per cent will shop online this holiday season and 80 per cent of those will use credit cards.
According to the survey, younger Canadians — those from 18 to 24 — are much worse than their elders when it comes to identity theft security.
One in 10 young shoppers go out with their pin number in their wallet or bag and some even keep it stored in their cell phone.
Shawn Desantis, Royal & SunAlliance’s vice-president of personal insurance said that, when his company set out to decide how to help customers reclaim their identities it found the process was a complicated one.
“We ourselves were surprised at the process,” he said. “It takes a lot of time.”
He suggests the following measures to prevent the problem in the first place:
– Shred statements, bills and direct mail, don’t just throw them in the garbage.
– Only take the credit and debit cards you need with you when shopping.
– Keep track of what you spend.
– Only shop on secure websites: Do not enter any financial information — if you see a broken-key or open padlock symbol on your Internet browser.
– Protect your PIN numbers.
– Always check bank statements and credit card statements thoroughly.
– Be aware of what personal information you are sharing and the measures in place to protect it.
– Review your credit report annually so that you can identify any abnormal activity: There are two credit report agencies in Canada: Equifax and TransUnion. You can order a free report from both of these.
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SAFE SHOP
Here are some quick hints on how to protect yourself online as you buy gifts during the run-up to the holiday season:
– Always make sure that you’re using an authentic site (some browsers like the new Internet Explorer and Firefox have protection built-in) and not attempting to buy from a site set up merely to capture your credit card and personal information.
– Buy from well-known, established merchants.
– Never, ever, make purchases online while connected to a public WiFi connection. What are known as ‘evil twin’ networks — set up to look like real WiFi networks — are all too ready to help you divulge all your financial information.
– Don’t buy from people sending you unsolicited e-mail.
– Beware holiday themed e-mail because it could contain viruses and trojan horses. Personal financial information on your computer could be sent to thieves just because you clicked on an attachment. Think before you click.
– Keep up to date with your anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and firewall software.
– Use common sense. If a site looks suspicious or if even the smallest of alarms goes off in your brain back away from the keyboard. You don’t need any gift badly enough to compromise your financial security for it.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
