Thursday, February 26, 2004

PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY
How Can you protect yourself?
(North Bay , On) It is becoming more apparent that we all have to protect ourselves in many ways including our identity. The North Bay OPP would like to offer some tips to assist you in protecting the privacy of your personal and financial information:
• Don’t carry your birth certificate in your wallet or purse. Keep it with other vital documents in a safe place. Your birth certificate is the key to your identity.
• Only carry credit or debit cards you plan to use that day.
• Check your monthly credit card statements and report discrepancies, lost or stolen credit cards immediately.
• Password-protect your credit card, telephone and bank accounts and do not carry the passwords with you.
In the wrong hands, your birth certificate could be used to copy your identity, commit fraud and steal your money and property. If you start receiving calls from collection agencies or notice that you are not receiving normal monthly statements, you may be a victim of identity theft.
If you wish more information on how to protect your personal information, please call the Government of Ontario at 1-800-889-9768.