Preventing

Here are some simple ways you can help reduce your chances of becoming a fraud victim:

• Monitor your TransUnion Credit Profile regularly for unauthorized activity by using our Credit Monitoring solution. If you find any information not pertaining to you, contact the creditor and question the account and/or inquiry.
  
  
• Do not carry your extra credit cards, birth certificate, SIN card or passport in your wallet or purse except when necessary. This practice minimizes the amount of information a thief can steal in the case of a lost wallet/purse.
  
  
• Install a lockable mailbox at your residence to reduce mail theft.
  
  
• Never discard credit card receipts or other documents containing personal information in a public trash container; use a shredder.
  
  
• Never leave your purse or wallet unattended at work or in church, restaurants, health fitness clubs, parties or shopping carts. Never leave your purse or wallet in open view in your car, even when your car is locked.
  
  
• Destroy all cheques immediately after you close a chequing account. Destroy or store in a secure place any courtesy cheques that your bank or credit card company sends to you.
  
  
• If you move, do not have your bank send your new cheques to your home address. Tell the bank that you prefer to pick them up.
  
  
• Reconcile your cheque and credit card statements promptly. Immediately challenge any purchases you do not recognize.
  
  
• Limit the number of credit cards you have and cancel any inactive accounts.
  
  
• Never give any credit card, bank, or Social Insurance information to anyone by telephone—even if you made the call—unless you can positively verify that the call is legitimate.
  
  
• Minimize exposure of your credit card numbers. If the numbers are requested for cheque-cashing purposes, ask if the business has alternative options such as a cheque-cashing card.
  
  
• Safeguard your credit, debit and ATM card receipts. Shred them before discarding.
  
  
• Scrutinize your utility and subscription bills to make sure the charges are yours.
  
  
• Memorize your passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) so you do not have to write them down. Be aware of your surroundings to make sure no one is watching you enter your PIN.
  
  
• Keep a list of all your credit accounts and bank accounts in a secure place. This makes it easy to quickly call the issuers to inform them about missing or stolen cards. Include account numbers, expiration dates and telephone numbers of customer service and fraud departments.
  
  
• Do not discard pre-approved credit offers in your trash or recycling bin without first tearing them into small pieces or cross-cut shredding them. Dumpster divers can use these offers to order credit cards in your name and mail them to their address. Always do the same with other sensitive information like credit card receipts and phone bills.
  
  
• Avoid credit repair scams. If you are tempted to contact a credit repair company for help, use considerable caution. Only inaccurate information may be removed from your credit report; negative information that is accurate (such as a bankruptcy filing or a defaulted loan) will stay on your credit report as long as governing laws allow.
  
  
• Under Consumer Reporting legislation, if you believe any item on your credit report is inaccurate or incomplete, and you notify us, we will verify the information at no cost to you. We do not accept disputes from third parties unless accompanied by a notarized power of attorney that authorizes a licensed attorney or a family member to represent you, or if the power of attorney is unlimited and irrevocable.
  
  
• Order your TransUnion Credit Report periodically and check for any unauthorized activity. Should any information not pertaining to you show up on your credit report, contact the creditors and question the account and/or inquiry. If you have questions, contact the other major credit reporting bureaus.