Identity theft is a pressing issue in the Canada. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre shows that so far this year 2,936 cases of identity theft have been reported, and 11,226 cases of identity fraud have already occurred. The grand total for this theft is over 6 million dollars.
Students in particular should be wary. The 2013 Javelin Strategy and Research report states that 1-5 fraud complaints came from 20-29 year-olds. Jeff Gardiner, Central Information Security Officer at Information Technology Services at Western University says that there is a very simple reason why students are so highly targeted.
“With respect to your iPhone, your whole life is on your iPhone. We’ve had students that have been stalked because people have accessed their iPhone and gotten access to their schedule. Of course the solution there is very simple just add a PIN”.
If you suspect that you are a victim of identity theft, Penny Hermann Non-Commissions Officer suggests contacting your local authorities, your financial institution, and one of the two crediting unions in Canada; EquiFax Canada and TransUnion Canada. More information about how to report a suspected incident can be found on the RCMP website.