According to the latest Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s annual report, digital frauds like Phishing, Spear Phishing and Identity Theft continue to rise. In fact, they report that there has been a 130% increase in dollar loss compared to the previous year.
Since this is Fraud Prevention Month, here are some reminders on you can protect yourself:
- Systematically shred all unnecessary documents that contain any personal information that could be used to identify you, such as your date of birth, home address or social insurance number.
- Never confirm your PIN, credit card numbers, SIN, driver’s license or other personal information over the phone or e-mail unless you initiated the request.
- Collect your mail every day. Or, if you’re about to go on vacation, ask a trusted friend or member to collect it for you.
- Only do business over the web with reputable companies that have high internet security standards.
- Use a credit card with a low credit limit when making online purchases.
Our plan provider, Canada Life, also recommends:
- Check your bank balances regularly
- Phishing is everywhere; if you don’t recognize the sender or the content of the message, don’t click on any attachments or links. Just delete it right away.
To learn more on how you can protect yourself:
Canada Life: Protecting yourself online – Dos and don’ts in the fight against fraud
Government of Canada: Fraud Prevention Month 2023
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