Seven practical steps to avoid Idenity Fraud

1. Pick up your mail daily
The worst thing you can do is let important documents sit in an unlocked mailbox overnight, Mr. Levin says. If you’re planning to be away from home for an extended period, have Canada Post hold your mail or have a trusted neighbour collect it as it arrives.

2. Keep track of important documents
Write down every piece of information-rich mail you anticipate receiving and mark it off when it arrives. If important documents such as your tax-filing package or financial statements don’t arrive, contact the sender immediately. CRA spokesman Philippe Brideau said tax-filing packages have already been mailed and most Canadians should have received them by now.

3. Choose electronic delivery
If possible, have financial documents sent by e-mail. As long as your computer has adequate security, electronic delivery is usually safer than a mailbox, Mr. Levin says.

4. Monitor your financial transactions
Don’t wait until the end of month to see your financial statements. Go online every day and check your bank and credit card accounts to ensure all of the listed transactions are legitimate. “That’s really important,” Mr. Levin says. “You can save yourself an enormous amount of time and agony.”

5. Check your credit report
By February or March, order your credit reports from TransUnion and Equifax so you can see whether there are any new accounts that you didn’t apply for. If there are, that’s a red flag for fraud.

6. Get a paper shredder
Recycling bins are another place identity thieves can easily steal your personal information. To be on the safe side, shred any documents that contain your name and address before you dispose of them.

7. Consider doing some damage control
There are many companies that offer identity theft insurance or credit fraud monitoring. Also, some insurance companies and banks offer complimentary protection services to customers, so shop around, Mr. Levin says.

Idenity Theft

Roughly 20,000 people who reported identity theft and identity fraud crimes to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre last year represented an increase of about 5,000 complainants over the previous year.
"And only a fraction of these crimes are reported,"

Here are tips from the RCMP on how to avoid identity theft and fraud:

* Be wary of unsolicited emails, telephone calls or mail seeking personal or financial information from you;
* Regularly check your credit reports, bank and credit card statements and report any irregularities promptly  to the relevant financial institution or to the credit bureaus;
* During transactions, swipe your cards yourself rather than let a cashier do it for you. If you must hand over your card, never lose sight of it;
* Always shield your personal identification number when using an ATM or a pin pad;
* Memorize all personal identification numbers for payment cards and telephone calling cards;
* Trash bins are a gold mine for identity thieves. Make sure you shred personal and financial documents before putting them in the garbage;
* And when you change your address, notify the post office and all relevant financial institutions.

Private Investigator Training Course

I just wanted to let you know that Chris Pierre of Evince Services is now offering training to individuals seeking to become licensed as Private Investigators under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act.

There is a course scheduled for March 1, 2011.

For more info, give Neill Bailey a call at 613-233-8509 x 101 or email nbailey@evincesvc.com

Knowing Chris, this is going to be a good course.