Spotting Identity Theft Signs sub-tab
Knowing identity theft signs can help you protect yourself from this crime. While identity theft is always difficult, if it's caught early, you can minimize its damage to your reputation and financial health. Unfortunately, some people don't realize that their credit contains inaccuracies caused by the activity of identity thieves. Credit identity thieves use your personal information to apply for credit in your name, leaving you to deal with angry creditors and collectors.
Here Are Some Common Indicators of Identity Theft:
- Unfamiliar activity on your credit reports: Regularly monitor your credit reports to look for new and unfamiliar accounts. If you see that unauthorized or unfamiliar activity has occurred, contact the credit bureau that issued the report right away.
- Unexpected charges on your credit or bank account statements: Don't toss your bank and credit card statements without reviewing them. Review each charge and call your bank or credit card company to question any purchase that you don't recall making.
- Letters or phone calls from unfamiliar creditors or bill collectors: If you start getting phone calls and letters from unknown creditors or bill collectors, take action. An identity thief may have used your identity to open accounts and make purchases, leaving you with the bills. Children and the elderly can also be targets of identity thieves that operate in this way, so look out for similar communications to your children or to relatives in your care.
- Inability to access online accounts: If you suddenly can't access bank or credit card account websites, contact your financial institutions immediately by phone. Someone may have stolen your passwords in an attempt to take over your accounts.
If you notice these identity theft signs, contact your local law enforcement agency and file a report. You should also notify credit bureaus, credit card companies and financial institutions to inform them about your situation, reverse any charges and remove inaccurate information. As a precaution, you may also want to place a fraud alert on your credit reports, which help provide you with an additional layer of protection against an identity thief.
Preventing Identity Theft sub-tab
- Monitor your TransUnion Credit Report regularly for unauthorized activity by using our myTrueIdentity solution. If you find any information not pertaining to you, contact the creditor and question the account and/or inquiry.
- Do not carry your extra credit cards, birth certificate, SIN card or passport in your wallet or purse except when necessary. This practice minimizes the amount of information a thief can steal in the case of a lost wallet/purse.
- Install a lockable mailbox at your residence to reduce mail theft.
- Never discard credit card receipts or other documents containing personal information in a public trash container; use a shredder.
- Never leave your purse or wallet unattended at work or in church, restaurants, fitness clubs, parties or shopping carts. Never leave your purse or wallet in open view in your car, even when your car is locked.
- Limit the number of credit cards you have and cancel any inactive accounts.
- Never give any credit card, bank, or Social Insurance information to anyone by telephone — even if you made the call — unless you can positively verify that the call is legitimate.
- Safeguard your credit, debit and ATM card receipts. Shred them before discarding.
- Scrutinize your utility and subscription bills to make sure the charges are yours.
- Memorize your passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) so you do not have to write them down. Be aware of your surroundings to make sure no one is watching you enter your PIN.
- Keep a list of all your credit accounts and bank accounts in a secure place. This makes it easy to quickly call the issuers to inform them about missing or stolen cards. Include account numbers, expiration dates and telephone numbers of customer service and fraud departments.
- Do not discard pre-approved credit offers in your trash or recycling bin without first tearing them into small pieces or cross-cut shredding them. Dumpster divers can use these offers to order credit cards in your name and mail them to their address. Always do the same with other sensitive information like credit card receipts and phone bills.
- Under Consumer Reporting legislation, if you believe any item on your credit report is inaccurate or incomplete, and you notify us, we will verify the information at no cost to you. We do not accept disputes from third parties unless accompanied by a notarized power of attorney that authorizes a licensed attorney or a family member to represent you, or if the power of attorney is unlimited and irrevocable.
- Review your TransUnion Credit Report periodically and check for any unauthorized activity. Should any information not pertaining to you show up on your credit report, contact the creditors and question the account and/or inquiry. If you have questions, contact the other major credit reporting bureau.
Identity Remediation sub-tab
Once you realize that you are a fraud victim, you need to contact various government, credit/financial institutions, and credit agencies. To make the process as manageable as possible, we have prepared the following procedures to help you resolve any problems with your creditors, amend fraud information on your credit report, and help prevent any further fraud.
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Obtain and review a copy of your credit report.
Review your TransUnion Credit Report for any unauthorized activity. If you find any information not pertaining to you on your credit file, contact the creditors and question the account and/or inquiry. If you have questions, contact TransUnion.
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Report the fraud.
Contact government agencies such as Service Canada if someone has used your Social Insurance Number to apply for government services. It is recommended that you also contact your local law enforcement agency to file a report regarding the fraudulent activity. For confirmed cases only, contact The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (Phonebusters) to report the incident.
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Contact your credit financial institutions.
Contact companies that you have relationships with and inform them that your accounts with those companies may be compromised.
Contact the companies on your credit report that you do not recognize. Verify with the company the information they have in their records for the reported item.
Provide the creditor with a copy of your police report; you may need an Affidavit or relevant documentation.
Keep a log of all related phone conversations, including names of people with whom you spoke.
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Placing a fraud alert
Add a fraud alert to your credit file if you have been notified by a creditor's fraud department, Government agency or law enforcement regarding fraud to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also add a statement to your file if you had your wallet lost/stolen or had a home break-in. This statement alerts the creditors who obtain your credit file of the fraud and, if applicable, to contact you before approving credit applications. This statement is retained on your credit file for six years from the date it was added, or until you request its deletion in writing.
The addition of a fraud alert to your credit file may assist you in reducing the likelihood of future fraudulent applications resulting in the extension of credit in your name. However, it is important to recognize that, subject to applicable law, credit grantors have the discretion to decide what steps they will take (if any) when they see the fraud alert on your credit file.
To place a potential fraud alert on your credit file, please click here.
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Follow up.
Follow up with companies and agencies that you have contacted to ensure that their investigation resulted in your favour. By working with credit grantors directly to identify all fraudulent accounts, you can greatly reduce this crime's effect on you.
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Regularly review your credit.
Monitor your TransUnion Credit Report regularly for unauthorized activity by using our Credit Monitoring solution. If you find any information not pertaining to you, contact the creditor and question the account and/or inquiry.
Contacts
Print this list of phone numbers to use and keep for reference during your fraud resolution process.
Correspondence in English:
TransUnion
Consumer Relations Centre
3115 Harvester Road, Suite 201
Burlington, Ontario
L7N 3N8
1-800-663-9980
Correspondence in French:
TransUnion
Consumer Relations Centre
3115 Harvester Road, Suite 201
Burlington, Ontario
L7N 3N8
1-877-713-3393
Equifax Credit Information Services
Consumer Fraud Division
P.O. Box 190 Jean Talon
Montreal, PQ
H1S 2Z2
800-465-7166
514-493-2314
Supportive Agencies
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
(PhoneBusters)
P.O. Box 686
North Bay, Ontario
P1B 8J8
888-495-8501
TransUnion Identity Protection Specialists
If a credit grantor's fraud department, law enforcement or a government agency has informed you that you are a confirmed/true name victim of fraud, TransUnion can connect you with one of our Identity Protection Specialists. In order to place a confirmed fraud warning on your credit file and discuss identity restoration process, please call 1-800- 663-9980 and select option 4 for an agent to assist you.
ID Theft Insurance Summary sub-tab
ID Theft Insurance Summary
Limit of Insurance
$50,000
Aggregate Limit of Insurance
per policy period |
$2,000
Lost wages
per week, for 5 weeks maximum |
$0
Deductible
per policy period |
$2,000
Travel Expenses
per policy period |
$2,000
Elder Care/Child Care
per policy period |
$1,000
Initial Legal Consultation
per policy period |
This Summary is provided to inform you as a member of myTrueIdentity, about insurance benefits under a policy of Personal Internet and Identity insurance owned by Trans Union of Canada, Inc., and as is identified below (the "Policy"). This Summary Description of Benefits does not state all the terms, conditions, and exclusions of the Policy. The payment of benefits will be subject to all of the terms, conditions, and exclusions of the Policy, even if they are not mentioned in this Summary. A complete copy of the Policy will be provided upon request.
The Policy has been issued to: Trans Union of Canada, Inc. (the "Policyholder")
Policy Number: 01-000-21-66 underwritten by: AIG Insurance Company of Canada at 120 Bremner Boulevard, Suite 2200, Toronto, Ontario M5J 0A8 (the "Company") to provide insurance benefits as described in this Summary.
General Information
Should you have any questions regarding the Membership Program provided by the Master Policyholder, or wish to view a complete copy of the Master Policy, please call the customer service number at 800-508-2597 located in your membership materials.
When Coverage Begins and Ends
You are covered for stolen identity events only which are first discovered while the Policy is in effect and while you are a customer of a program of the Policyholder which is insured under the Policy.
If the Policy is terminated, the insurance will cease effective that date, without notice. The Policy automatically terminates, without notice, in the event of the insolvency or bankruptcy of the Policyholder or in the event of non-payment of premium.
Filing a Claim
If you have any questions regarding the identity theft insurance coverage or wish to file a claim under the Master Policy, please contact the Insurer at 1-877-890-1946 for assistance.
The Policy provides benefits to you only if you report a stolen identity event to us as soon as you become aware of a stolen identity event, but in no event later than one hundred and twenty (120) days after the stolen identity event is first discovered and you follow the instructions given to you in a claims kit that you will be provided. These instructions will include notifying major credit bureaus and appropriate law enforcement authorities. This Claims Kit will also instruct you how to file a claim under the Policy if the stolen identity event results in losses covered under the Policy.
Insurance Benefits sub-tab
Insurance Benefits
We shall pay you for the following:
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a) Costs
- Reasonable and necessary costs incurred by you in Canada for re-filing applications for loans, grants or other credit instruments that are rejected solely as a result of the stolen identity event;
- Reasonable and necessary costs incurred by you in Canada for commissioning affidavits or other similar documents, long distance telephone calls and postage solely as a result of your efforts to report a stolen identity event and/or amend or rectify records as to your true name or identity as a result of a stolen identity event;
- Reasonable and necessary costs incurred by you for ordering medical records for the purpose of amending and/or rectifying these documents as a result of a stolen identity event;
- Reasonable and necessary costs for elder care or child care incurred as a result of your efforts to amend or rectify records as to an insured’s true name or identity;
- Reasonable and necessary costs of travel within Canada incurred as a result of your efforts to amend or rectify records as to an insured’s true name and identity;
- Reasonable and necessary costs incurred by you for the replacement of identification cards, drivers licenses and passports as a result of a stolen identity event; and
- Reasonable and necessary costs incurred by you associated with the use of any certified public accountant engaged to amend or rectify records as to your true name or identity as a result of a stolen identity event. We reserve the right to select such certified public accountant; however, with our express prior written consent, you may select such public accountant.
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b) Lost Wages
Actual lost wages earned in Canada, whether partial or whole days, for time taken off work and away from your work premises solely as a result of your efforts to amend or rectify records as to your true name or identity as a result of a stolen identity event. Actual lost wages includes remuneration for vacation days, discretionary days, floating holidays, and paid personal days and excludes business interruption or future earnings of a self-employed person. Computation of lost wages for such self-employed persons must be supported by, and will be based on, prior year tax returns. Coverage is limited to wages lost within twelve months after discovery of the stolen identity event and is limited to the lost wages limit set out in the Policy and this Summary. -
c) Legal defense fees and expenses
Costs for reasonable fees for legal counsel appointed by us and related court fees, incurred by you with our consent, for:- Any suit brought against you by a creditor or collection agency or entity acting on behalf of a creditor for non-payment of goods or services or default on a loan as a result of the stolen identity event;
- Removing any civil judgment wrongfully entered against you as a result of the stolen identity event;
- Defending criminal charges brought against the insured as a result of a stolen identity event; provided, however, we will only pay criminal defense related fees and expenses after it has been established that the insured was not in fact the perpetrator;
- Challenging the accuracy or completeness of any information in the insured’s medical history as a result of a stolen identity theft; and
- An initial consultation with a lawyer to determine the severity of an appropriate response to a stolen identity event.
Coverage Scope
You will only be covered if a stolen identity event is first discovered while you are a customer of the Policyholder’s insured program and the event is reported to us within one hundred and twenty (120) days. You will not be covered if the stolen identity event is first discovered before you are covered under the Policy, after termination of the Policy or when you are not a customer of the Policyholder’s insured program.
Limits of Insurance
The most we shall pay you are the limits of insurance set out in the Policy and this Summary. All legal defense fees and expenses are deducted from the aggregate limits of insurance. LEGAL DEFENSE FEES AND EXPENSES ARE PART OF, AND NOT IN ADDITION TO, THE LIMIT OF INSURANCE.
The lost wages, travel expenses, initial legal consultation, and elder care/child care limit shown above is a sublimit of the aggregate limit of insurance and is the most we shall pay you for lost wages, initial legal consultation and elder care/child care.
Deductible
The Company shall be liable only for the amount by which each loss exceeds the applicable deductible amount. The deductible applies to each and every loss and shall have no aggregate limit.
- You shall be responsible for the applicable deductible amount set out in the Policy and this Summary and you may not insure against it.
- You shall be responsible for only one deductible during any one policy period.
Exclusions
For a complete description of the exclusions please request a copy of the Policy. The Policy does not cover losses arising directly or indirectly from dishonest acts of the insured, bodily injury to the insured, war or terrorism, pollution, claims not reported within one hundred and twenty (120) days after first discovery of a stolen identity event.
Other Insurance
We shall be excess over any other insurance, including, without limitation, homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. If you have other insurance that applies to a loss under the Policy, the other insurance shall pay first. The Policy applies to the amount of loss that is in excess of the limit of insurance of your other insurance and the total of all your deductibles and self-insured amounts under all such other insurance. In no event shall we pay more than our limits of insurance as shown above.
Duplicate Coverages
Should you be enrolled in more than one program insured by us, or any of our affiliates, we will reimburse you under each such program:
- a) subject to the applicable deductibles and limits of insurance of each insured program
- b) but in no event shall the total amount reimbursed to you under all such programs exceed the actual amount of loss.
Definitions sub-tab
For a complete description of the exclusions please request a copy of the Policy.
- "Stolen identity event" means the fraudulent use of the insured’s personal identification, social insurance number, or other method of identifying the insured. This includes the fraudulent use of the personal identity of the insured to establish credit accounts, secure loans, enter into contracts or commit crimes. Stolen identity event shall not include the fraudulent use of the insured’s business name, d/b/a or any other method of identifying any business activity of the insured. Stolen identity event shall also include Medical identity theft.
- "Insured" means the natural person on record with the Policyholder as being enrolled in an insured program and who is enrolled in such a program of the Policyholder at the time of a covered event.
- "Program" means a program sponsored by the Policyholder and that is specifically named within an endorsement attached to the Policy.
- "Policy period" means the period described under the section in this Summary called "When Coverage Begins and Ends".