With the world going digital and transactions often made online, phishing has become one of the significant problems with scammers and hackers spreading traps to steal your identity and dry your coffers.
It is time to prevent identity theft to your best possible efforts so that the personal information shared in some common platforms like banks and online payment gateways remain safe.
Still, if you are a victim of identity theft, it is better to take immediate action before it is too late.
Actions to be taken
- In the beginning, one should make out a list of information that has been hacked like the date of birth, bank account details, credit card details, and other identification methods.
- After making out a comprehensive list, one should report to the police for identity theft. Make a formal complaint, take the reports in writing and submit them to the concerned organizations from where your identity has been stolen, and fraudulent activities have taken place.
- Parallelly, one should report to the CAFC or the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre for identity theft. Acquire a copy of your credit standing from statutory bodies like TransUnion Canada or Equifax Canada so that to notify the creditors for the suspicious transactions which were not made by you.
- It will help to flag Fraud Warning alerts in your credit files, and you will be notified of any new account that has been opened stealing your identity and name.
- Inform the card departments or the bank of your theft and block the cards or cancel them and request to issue new ones.
- It is also beneficial to contact the postal department to stay assured that any mail addressed to you is not diverted to any other address.
- You should keep records of every communication for complaints of identity theft made with financial institutions, enforcement departments, and other agencies to prove your innocence and transact safely in the future with new instruments.
All said and done, it is always better to be in touch with any legal agency remembering prevention is better than cure.
An authorized agency can consistently do dark web screening, round the clock credit monitoring, tracking of the credit score, and inform you with mobile alerts staying within the ambit of the law.
Let impossible turn to possible with professional help so that you can have peace of mind.
For more information about what to do if you are a victim of identity theft or identity fraud, or how to prevent it, refer to the RCMP’s Identity Theft and Identity Fraud Victim Assistance Guide.