North York Central Library Blog

Have you ever been scammed, do you know someone who has or do you even know if you've been scammed? June was Senior's month and at North York Central Library and we had a series of programs presented by an educator from InCharge Canada, one of them was called: Guard Yourself Against Identity Theft. Although it was a program for seniors (all were welcome though!) - identity theft can happen to anyone. It happens in many forms such as; credit card, debit card, real estate, e-mail & telephone fraud (also known as phishing and vishing).

Unlike the cartoon above I'm sure most people wouldn't be releived if they found out someone stole their SIN-there's a feeling of shock, mistrust as if someone has taken advantage of you. Most times it happens without your permission and it can be quite unsettling when you don't even know how it happened. About a month ago my mother got a call from her credit card company telling her they suspected her card was comprimised (the card wasn't stolen she still had it). The person had treated themself to a shopping spree at:  Home Depot, The Apple Store and  De Boers Furniture store spending a grand total of $5000, I remember she was so upset, she cancelled the card immediately. Thankfully her credit card company resolved the issue - most large credit card companies have consumer protection policies - although some conditions may apply so it is a good idea to contact your credit card company to inquire further.

There are many things you can do to protect yourself, here are some tips:

• In public places only carry a small amount of credit cards
• Make sure when you're making a purchase to keep your eyes on your card all the time. Your card can be skimmed through a device which reads information off of your magnetic stripe. If you notice suspicious behaviour at a store contact the head office and your credit card company
• Shred all documents before throwing them away
• If you're going away ask someone you trust to pick up your mail and if you can't find someone you can go to your local post office and they can hold your mail free of charge
• Make sure you have a firewall, spyware and antivirus system that are up to date

If you do suspect you've been a victim of fraud contact Equifax and Transunion so that you can review your credit file and ask that a "Fraud Alert" be placed in your file.

Here are some books which may help you. You can find many other titles relating to fraud in the Business and Urban Affairs Department on the fourth floor of North York Central library: