CYBER WATCH with Brent MacLean YOU?


hat do you do when you discover your wallet has been stolen? Or when a collection agency calls about a debt that you don’t owe? Or you are contacted to verify a loan that you didn’t authorize? Well, in every one of these situ- ations, take a deep breath, grab a piece of paper and a pencil, and begin to docu- ment all communication and actions — you just might be a victim of identity theft, the fastest growing crime in the world. If any of these incidents happen to you, as quickly as you possibly can, try to re- trace your steps with your wallet and/or credit cards. And if you do indeed talk with


W 10 SECURITY MATTERS • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2010


a loan officer or debt collector, don’t cut them off. Write down the name of the person who’s calling, their direct phone number and address and a brief synopsis of your conversation. Follow up the phone call with a certified letter, return receipt re- quested, that allows the contacting party to file your conversation in their records. If you received a call from a debt col- lector on a debt that you didn’t incur, chances are you will receive more calls from collection agencies. Be nice, gather information about the agency, take notes about your conversation, and check into the charges immediately. Do not give the


ARE YOU REALLY


Falling victim to identity theft can no doubt turn one’s life upside down. However, for those people who have some concerns their identity has been compromised, there are several steps one can take to mitigate the damage


caller any means to pay off that collection, such as a credit card or bank number, be- cause this could cause more problems for you if the call isn’t legitimate.


Dealing with a potential case of identity theft is a process that needs to unfold in a certain sequence of events. Only by fol- lowing the steps will you be able to limit the damage caused by the growing number of fraudsters looking to steal data in order to steal identities and thus steal money. Step 1: Limit further disclosure of per- sonal information. You can begin to limit the disclosure of your personal information immediately when you contact certain credit agencies and banking institutions. Make a note now to tell all banks, brokers, credit card and cheque bureaus, depart- ment stores and any other business that you contact that you want to opt out of any programs that share personal information. Step 2: Change all online passwords. While you search for business contacts and download forms to fill out in this re- covery process, begin to change all your online passwords. Thieves may have ac- quired your information through an online password-protected account. Use new and different passwords for each account, and stop saving your passwords online or on your computer. Step 3: Place a fraud alert on your credit reports. When you place a fraud alert on your credit report, you can help to prevent an identity thief from opening any ac- counts under your name for the next 90 days. Contact any one of the three national Credit Reporting Agencies (CRA). You only


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