2012-02-13 13:05:11 -

TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 02/13/12 -- Equifax Canada offers a number of suggestions in time for Fraud Protection Month in March.


"Canadians spend a lot of time online," says John Russo, Vice President, Legal Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Equifax Canada. "Almost half of us shop online, we have about 13 million Facebook and 3.5 million Twitter accounts, and we send nearly five billion text messages each month, according to the Better Business Bureau. Because of this high degree of online activity, we are also susceptible to online fraud."


Here are some suggestions for safe online shopping, courtesy of Equifax Canada, the country's largest credit reporting agency:

--  Look at the address. If you're shopping on a website and you've hit the
    "checkout" button, you should see a change in the Web address at the top
    of your browser. If the site you're shopping on is equipped with
    security layers, you should see "http" change to "https", and you might
    also see a small padlock icon, depending on your browser. 
--  Be careful about the information you give out. We're often asked for our
    email addresses, postal codes and shopping habits online and while these
    can seem like innocent questions, they're often used to create a profile
    of you for marketing purposes. If it gets into the wrong hands, all of
    that information about what you like and how you shop can provide clues
    that are helpful in stealing your identity. 
--  Monitor yourself. To keep track of how your personal information is
    being used, consider signing up for a credit monitoring product. With
    this product, you will be notified if anyone signs up for an account in
    your name or with your personal information. Keep a close eye on your
    bank account and credit card statements to make sure the purchases
    logged are ones you've made. It's also a good idea to make the effort to
    check your own credit reports throughout the year for any illicit or
    unauthorized activity. This will not affect your credit rating, since
    you are allowed to check your credit report as often as you like
    throughout the year. 
--  Change your passwords. It's good to reset your log-in passwords every so
    often. 

Russo notes that thousands of Canadians are victims of identity theft every year. Some suggestions to help in that area, courtesy of Equifax Canada:

--  Do not give out personal information over the phone, through the mail,
    or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact. Identity
    thieves will pose as bank representatives, Internet service providers,
    and even government officials to get you to reveal identifying
    information. 
--  Guard your social insurance number. Ask to use other types of
    identifiers when possible, and don't carry your SIN card. Be sure to
    keep it in a secure place. Do not put your social insurance number on
    your cheques. In fact, you only need a few key pieces of identification
    when you go out, such as an ATM card, credit card, driver's license and
    health card. Lock up all the others, including your birth certificate,
    at home or in a safety deposit box. 
--  Safeguard personal information in your home, especially if you are
    having service work done there, employ outside help, or have a roommate.
--  Protect your mail. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes
    or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox
    after it's delivered. 
--  Shred all documents you are discarding, including pre-approved credit
    applications received in your name, insurance forms, bank cheques and
    statements, and other financial information. 
--  You can also take advantage of some high-tech ways to fight identity
    theft. Consider monitoring your credit file for potentially fraudulent
    activity by signing up for the Equifax Credit Watch product. Take steps
    to detect possible signs of identity theft early - which helps minimize
    its impact - for only $14.95 a month. 

For more information, please visit Equifax Canada at www.equifax.ca or call 1-800-465-7166.


About Equifax


Equifax is a global leader in consumer and commercial information solutions, providing businesses of all sizes and consumers with information they can trust. We organize and assimilate data on more than 500 million consumers and 81 million businesses worldwide, and use advanced analytics and proprietary technology to create and deliver customized insights that enrich both the performance of businesses and the lives of consumers.


Headquartered in Atlanta, Equifax operates or has investments in 17 countries and is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500® Index. Its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. For more information, please visit www.equifax.com.



Contacts:

Equifax Canada

Tom Carroll

Media Relations

(416) 227-5290
MediaRelationsCanada@equifax.com :

www.equifax.com


For Equifax media inquiries only:

Hunter LaVigne Communications Inc.

Mark LaVigne, APR, FCPRS

905-841-2017 (office) or 416-884-2018 (cell)
mark.lavigne@hunterlavigne.com :