About the Fraud Victim Assistance Department (FVAD)

TransUnion's FVAD is the credit industry's first and most comprehensive department dedicated to helping credit fraud victims. It is a centralized TransUnion department dedicated solely to the detection, prevention and rectification of credit fraud. We assist and support all victims of fraudulent activity and put effective pre-emptive and remedial programs into place. Based in Hamilton, Ontario, the FVAD works with consumers, credit grantors, law enforcement officials and other credit reporting agencies to help investigate and prevent credit fraud.

When credit fraud occurs, you and your credit grantors are both victims. Until the fraud is discovered, the fraudulently opened accounts can appear on your credit file. FVAD can help you identify the fraudulent accounts and/or inquiries, advises you of the creditors that need to be informed of the fraud, and works with the creditors to appropriately amend the information reported to your file.

Here are the steps FVAD takes to help prevent further fraud and correct the inaccuracies on your credit file resulting from the fraud:

1. After an FVAD representative verifies your identity, the representative advises you of any recent inquiries and/or accounts that are new to your file. If you are unaware of the inquiry and/or account, the representative provides the phone number for each. Moreover, the representative reminds you to notify the respective creditor of any fraudulent inquiry and/or account.

2. FVAD will add a fraud statement to your credit file, alerting the creditors who obtain your credit file of the fraud and, if applicable, to contact you before approving credit applications. This statement is retained on your credit file for six years from the date it was added, or until you request its deletion in writing.

The addition of a fraud alert to your credit file may assist you in reducing the likelihood of future fraudulent applications resulting in the extension of credit in your name. However, it is important to recognize that, subject to applicable law, credit grantors have the discretion to decide what steps they will take (if any) when they see the fraud alert on your credit file.

For confirmed Fraud Cases only, FVAD will gain consent to send your name, address and phone number to PhoneBusters (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre).

3. Notify joint-victim credit grantors.
Based on our conversation with you, FVAD notifies credit grantors of the suspected fraud inquiry and/or account. Specifically, FVAD advises the credit grantors to check for a recent application or opened account with the victim's identifying information. By approaching the fraud from both the consumer's and credit grantor's perspectives, a significant amount of fraud can be detected and resolved earlier.

4. Mail statement authorization form.
FVAD representative informs you that an authorization form will be mailed out in order to obtain written consent and to record your contact information.

5. Keep a database of fraud information.
With your consent, FVAD will add misused information into our High Risk Fraud Alert database. Should this information be used on future fraudulent applications, an alert is generated advising potential credit grantors to do further due diligence prior to extending credit.

6. Restore your credit file to its accurate state.
FVAD investigates any disputed credit information with the creditors to help restore any fraud information on your credit file to its accurate state.

7. Refer you to other credit bureaus.
An FVAD representative advises you to contact other credit bureaus in Canada in order to notify them about the fraud incident and add further protection for yourself.

8. Notification of Investigation Outcome/Mail credit file to the consumer, if appropriate.
An FVAD representative will notify you of the Investigation outcome. If you also want a current copy of your TransUnion credit report, proof of identity and/or residency may be required to safeguard your file from further fraudulent activity. The request must be signed in writing and accompanied by two pieces of acceptable identification. Following is the list of acceptable identification:

Acceptable primary identification
We require one piece of valid, non-expired Canadian Government issued identification. Examples include:

• Drivers license
• Canadian Passport
• Certificate of Indian Status
• Birth Certificate
• Permanent Resident card
• Citizenship and Immigration form
• Health card (excluding provinces of ON, MB, PEI)
• Old Age Security card
• Department of National Defence card
  

Additional pieces of acceptable identification
Examples include:

• Utility bill indicating current address (within 60 days of issue)
• Credit card statement indicating current address (within 60 days of issue)
• Signed credit card
• CNIB card
• Social Insurance card
• T4 slip (current tax year)
• Notice of Assessments (current tax year)
• GST/HST Refunds (current tax year)
• Child Tax Benefits (current tax year)

Together these combined pieces must contain your name, current address, date of birth and signature.