Carolyn is a free lance consultant with PPL Legal Care of Canada and Identity Theft Shield. She explained how the average Canadian can have their identity stolen, then cloned and used for many covert and fraudulent activities through a number of methods. Leaving sensitive information in a rural mailbox can be dangerous because thieves can raid the mailbox of both incoming and outgoing mail.

Also allowing a clerk or waiter to take your credit card out of sight to a processing machine can lead to identity theft.

Robb said "People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years, and thousands of dollars, cleaning up the mess the thieves have made of their good name and credit record." "Victims of stolen driver’s licenses have found that when they are pulled over for minor traffic offenses, they have been arrested for crimes they did not commit because their driver’s license was used by thieves as identification for a variety of offenses." She said.

Robb says that an educated consumer offers the best protection from identity thieves. She offered a number of Do’s and Do not’s to the Washago Rotarians.

Do not let your credit card out of sight. Do not carry your SIN, OHIP, Passport or birth certificate in your wallet. Do not put cheques in a rural mailbox; take them to the post office. Do not have your cancelled cheques mailed to you; pick them up at the bank. Do not supply personal information over the phone (unless you can verify and trust whoever you are talking to). Do not leave any receipts (debit or credit card) behind. Take them with you and save them or destroy them.

You should photocopy everything you carry in your wallet. You should check your credit reports from each of Canada’s three national Credit Bureaus at least once per year which can be done for free. You should change your passwords and PIN numbers often. You should check with Canada Post or creditors if your mail is late or a bill is missing. Following a purchase, always check to ensure that the credit card returned to you is yours. In some cases phony cards are given back to the customer and the original is then stolen. At unknown ATM machines, you should enter an invalid PIN number first. If the number is not accepted, this usually means the machine is legitimate. If the invalid PIN is accepted, the machine is likely compromised and set up to record valid PIN’s.

If you think you could be a victim of identity theft, you can contact Carolyn Robb at in Washago 689-4892. Robb was thanked by Washago Rotarian Marilyn Brooks.

The image you see the top of this webpage was painted by local artist Elizabeth Schamehorn. We gratefully acknowledge her permission in using this wonderful image of our local landscape. Please feel free to email her at Elizabeth Schamehorn.

This site is © Copyright Rotary Club of Washago and Area - Centennial 2004-2005, All Rights Reserved