What is Identity Theft?

1. What is Identity Theft? • The theft, misrepresentation or hijacking of another person or business’ Identity • It is a growing problem in Canada • Fraud • Provides an effective means to commit other crimes using your name.

2. Account Takeovers Card Skimming Non-Receipts Card Replacements Unauthorized Use Phishing Application Fraud Loans Bank Accounts Credit Cards Mortgages Cell Phones Two Main Types of Identity Theft

3. How Does It Happen? • Fraudsters are innovative • Happens though computer use, email, snail mail, transactions over the phone, even material taken from your trash! • Consumer is not aware of potential fraud

4. What Can You Do? • Protect yourself • Minimize the chances of having your identity stolen • Be Aware of what is happening • Be A smart consumer • Stay one step ahead and protect yourself

5. The Less Information that’s out there the better! • Carry only the cards you need in your wallet. Leave extra credit cards, social insurance cards locked up at home. • Make a copy of all of your cards and lock the copy up in your house. • Don’t let a store clerk write down your credit card # • Don’t print your SIN or Drivers License # on your cheques • When asked for your SIN always ask if you can provide another number • Don’t Use ATM tellers from financial institutions you don’t recognize.

6. Protect yourself at work • Keep your purse/wallet locked up at the office at all times. • Workplace theft is more common than most people realize • Ask your employer for a safe place to lock up your things if one is not provided for you. • Ask your employer about security procedures for personal files • DO NOT log onto personal financial websites using company computers. • DO NOT set passwords to auto remember. • And do not store personal information in your desk or on your office computer at work.

7. Protect yourself at home • Protect your mail, get a locked mail box • Never have new cheques sent to your home in the mail. Pick them up from the bank • Buy a shredder to shred personal documents • Check your credit report at least once a year • Keep your personal information in a locked room or a filing cabinet.

8. A review of the problem • What is the problem? • Fastest growing crime in the country • 25 million victims, 10 million in 2004 • Sheer numbers swamp law enforcement

9. Further thoughts on the problem • What’s the harm? • 600 hours spent to restore identity and credit • $1,400 out-of-pocket costs to victim • $16,000 in lost productivity of victim • $40,000-$92,000 business community losses per stolen identity Source: Identity Theft Resource Center

10. How do they get the information? • Dumpster divers • Mail thieves • Burglary and personal theft • Insider compromises • Phishing • Internet sources and hacking

11. How can I protect myself? • Place passwords on credit card, bank, & phone accounts • Don’t use your mother’s maiden name, birth date, last 4 digits of SSN, or phone number • Secure personal info in your home • Shred all documents containing your personal info

12. How can I protect myself? (continued) • Drop outgoing mail in a USPS box, not your home mailbox • Limit the number of credit cards you carry • Don’t carry your Social Security card

13. Web site links • Web site provides links to federal and state resources for additional info on ID theft • www.idtheftcenter.org • www.consumer.gov/idtheft • To opt out of prescreened credit card offers by phone, call toll-free 1-888-5-OPT-OUT • www.privacyrights.org

14. Additional Web site links • Information on state laws, forms, and prevention checklists for businesses • www.idtheftcenter.org • For identity theft brochure re: banking industry • www.bos.frb.org/consumer/identity/idtheft.htm

15. 20 U.S.C. § 1097 [Title IV, HEA] • Any person who knowingly and willfully embezzles, misapplies, steals, obtains by fraud, false statement or forgery, or fails to refund any funds, assets, or property provided or insured under [Title IV, HEA] or attempts to so embezzle, misapply, steal, obtain by fraud, false statement or forgery, or fail to refund any funds, assets, or property, shall be fined…or imprisoned…

16. Tools used to commit identity theft of federal student aid funds • computer • online application process for FSA funds • online enrollment • identity of another person • fake identification documents

17. Protecting others from identity theft • Properly handle documents • Shred sensitive info • Use key identifiers instead of the SSN • Password-protect sensitive info • Audit access • Review access privileges • View info on computers in the same manner as paper documents – is it secure?

18. Protect Yourself Online • Use A Firewall – this will prevent Phishing attempts • Choose good passwords – Use an alpha numeric password and change them frequently • Choose a good username – do not use your email address as a username (Hannah1199) • Beware of Phishing – Pay Pal/Best Buy/EBay/RBC etc

19. What does Phishing Look Like?

20. Signs that you may be a Victim • A bank or cell phone company contacts you about suspicious transactions • You start receiving suspicious calls for more information about yourself • A collection agency calls you about • an unknown debt • Unknown items appear on one • of your statements Source: Consumer Measures Committee

21. You are denied credit for unknown reasons Bills and statements are not arriving in the mail Your credit report has unknown or inaccurate entries Bills or statements arrive for unknown accounts Source: Consumer Measures Committee

22. Current Threats • The Prize Pitch: • Remember that you should never have to buy anything to win a prize in a contest • Be careful of the sweepstakes contest, you will be contacted by a judge border services person or a lawyer. They will tell you that the money must be sent up front for tax reasons.

23. Current Threats • Emergency or Grandparent Scam • Happens over the phone • May use accident or travel as an excuse • 2 methods used • 1) typical: • Do you know who this is? • don’t tell anyone! 2) email a hijacked account is used to ask friends or family to send money.

24. The results of the scam • By the end of October 2009: • Grandparent scam had 278 failed attempts • Had 88 Successful attempts total loss reported = $317,732.63 Average of $3,610 per victim. • In 2008 total loss on the same scam was $157,452 • December 2009 OPP warns of the scam

25. What do you do if you are a Victim? • Contact police – file a police report • Notify the Credit Bureaus – Equifax, Trans Union • Contact your banking institution • Contact Phone Busters – 1.888.495.8501 or on the web at www.phonebusters.com • Investigate new accounts – review your credit report • Check your Address – check with Canada Post to see if there was a change of address reported. Notify them that you are a victim • Check your passport – check with passport Canada to be sure no one has applied for a new passport under your name. you can visit their website at www.ppt.gc.ca or call 1.888.567.6868

26. What Can be Done? • Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information • Unless e-mail is digitally signed, you can't be sure it wasn't forged or “spoofed” • Phishers typically include upsetting or exciting (but false) statements in e-mails to get people to react immediately

27. What Can be Done? (continued) • They typically ask for info such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, etc. • phisher e-mails are typically NOT personalized, while valid messages from your bank or e-commerce company generally are

28. Phishing Prevention • Don't use links in an e-mail to get to any Web page if you suspect the message might not be authentic • instead, call the company on the telephone or log onto its Web site directly by typing in the Web address in your browser

29. Phishing Prevention (continued) • Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that ask for personal financial information • you should only communicate information such as credit card numbers or account information via a secure Web site or the telephone

30. Phishing Prevention • Always ensure you're using a secure Web site when submitting credit card or other sensitive information via your Web browser • to make sure you're on a secure Web server, check the beginning of the Web address in your browser’s address bar - it should be "https://" rather than just "http://"

31. Phishing Prevention (continued) • Consider installing a Web browser tool bar to help protect you from known phishing fraud Web sites

32. Phishing Prevention • Regularly log into your online accounts • don't leave it for as long as a month before you check each account • Regularly check your bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate • if anything is suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers • Ensure that your browser is up to date and security patches applied

33. Other Actions • Spam filters • Personal firewalls • Trust tool bars • Spoof protection software

34. Other Actions (continued) • Always initiate the transaction • even if a phishing message is delivered, verify by logging to the home page directly rather than clicking the URL in the e-mail • When in doubt always first give a wrong password • the legitimate URL will reject it; the phished one will accept it

35. Cyber Bullying and Ethics • Cyber bullying is the electronic posting of mean-spirited messages about a person, often done anonymously • Cyber ethics help Internet users understand what type of online behavior is right and wrong • Cyber bullying and poor cyber ethics are threats many teens and young adults face not from strangers, but from their own peers

36. Cyber Predators • Cyber predators are people who search online for other people in order to use, control, or harm them in some way • Cyber predators target teens and young adults – both male and female – on a regular basis, regardless of whether or not the victims are 18 or above • Social networking sites enhance a predator’s ability to target young Americans, especially if they share personal information in your profile • 91% of young adults say they are social networking “friends” with people they don’t know well* • You never know who is behind the screen, so protect yourself and your personal information • If you are being targeted or harassed online, you should notify your family or the proper authorities * Source: http://www.staysafeonline.org/sites/default/files/resource_documents/Cyber%20Education%205.3.11%20PDF.pdf

37. Cyber Bullying • Whatever anyone posts online about another person can be spread virally, resulting in serious, unwarranted damage to an individual’s reputation or personal well-being

38. Cyber Bullying • Avoid being a cyber bully and practice good cyber ethics by: • Following the “golden rule” online and in real life – be nice • Not saying or doing anything online that you wouldn’t do in person • Owning what you say and do online

39. Reducing risk • We never know who is looking in our trash • Shred sensitive documents • Secure shred barrels and make sure that proper handling procedures are in place