Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft

Identity theft—the unauthorized use of your information by third parties—involves the collection and use of personal information such as your name, date of birth, address, social insurance number (SIN), and other personal details for criminal purposes.

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) takes the protection of taxpayer information very seriously and has measures in place to identify suspicious activity involving taxpayer accounts. If the CRA suspects that a taxpayer’s personal information has been compromised, the Agency will immediately take the necessary actions to prevent funds from being issued and notify the individual by mail.

What could someone do with your personal information?

An individual may use your personal information to impersonate you and open a bank account, apply for loans or mortgages, obtain GST/HST rebates or refunds, benefit and credit payments, or income tax refunds, and so on.

What can you do to protect yourself from identity theft?

What is phishing?

Phishing involves the use of official-looking emails that direct the recipient to a fake Web site that looks identical to that of a legitimate business, financial institution, government department, or agency. The fake Web site will then request personal or financial information.

Most phishing emails include false statements intended to create the impression of an immediate financial impact or risk to the recipient. If you are suspicious, close the email and contact the business or organization. Ask for confirmation of this information. Be sure to obtain a telephone number or other contact information from a credible source not contained within the suspicious email.

How can you minimize your risk?

What should you do if you think you are a victim of identity theft?

You should immediately:

To report a fraudulent communication, or if your identity was stolen as part of a scam, please contact the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Phonebusters by email at info@phonebusters.com or call 1-888-495-8501.

Check your credit report

You should conduct a regular review of your credit report and do so immediately if you think your personal information has been compromised.

You can request a free copy of your credit report from either of the companies below.

Equifax
www.equifax.ca
1-800-465-7166

TransUnion
www.transunion.ca
1-800-663-9980
1-877-713-3393 (Quebec Residents)

If something on the report looks wrong, or if a business you do not know has asked for a copy of your credit report, call the credit reporting agency right away.

If you suspect that your personal information has been compromised and you believe your tax information may be affected, please contact the CRA at 1-800-959-8281.

For more information on how to protect yourself, visit our Web site at canada.ca/taxes-fraud-prevention.

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