(SOUTHERN BRUCE COUNTY, ON) – On April 15th, 2012 at 2:02 pm, the South Bruce OPP was contacted by a resident of the Municipality of Kincardine to report the fraudulent use of his MasterCard. Over the past 4 months, charges in excess of $20,000 were placed on his card. The South Bruce OPP is offering the following guide for residents that are concerned about identity theft/identity fraud:
Obtain a copy of your credit report. The major credit bureaus are Equifax Canada at 1 800 465 7166 and TransUnion Canada at 1 877 525 3823. If your identity has been compromised, request a fraud warning be placed on your file.
Close accounts that you didn’t open.
Decline new accounts/credit offers that you didn’t request.
Put a “stop payment†on stolen cheques.
Close every account that may have been compromised.
Notify credit card issuers, banks, other creditors that you deal with.
If you feel your mail has been redirected, contact Canada Post
Notify the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre.
Keep a record of each agency you contact
Anyone interested in more information on fraud can contact the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre at 1 888 495 8501 or online at http://www.antifraudcentre.ca/.
The South Bruce OPP is requesting anyone with information that can assist police to call 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or send a web-tip to crimestop-gb.org, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
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