Press Room

• Press Room - News

August 22, 2008 MONTREAL - Personal and financial information is becoming just as attractive as cocaine and marijuana to Canada's organized crime groups. The problem of identity theft and fraud has become such a concern to police who investigate organized crime that it is the main focus of Criminal Intelligence Service Canada's annual report.
For more information, please go to http://www.nationalpost.com/most_popular/story.html?id=743175

February 8, 2008 - A nondescript building in Newton was instead an "identity theft factory" with hundreds of CDs with tens of thousands of people's personal information, including names, addresses, phone numbers, maiden names and children's names. Stacks of passports, driver's licences and credit cards -- both real and fake -- lined the rooms, as did over 2,400 pieces of mail stolen from 24 cities across B.C. and Alberta.
For more information, please go to http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20080228/BC_ID_Theft_080228?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

January 16, 2008 - In 2005, PhoneBusters reported 11,231 identity theft complaints in Canada, amounting to $8,575,593.98 in losses, making this crime the fastest growing form of consumer fraud in North America. On March 2006, Ottawa police recovered hundreds of stolen credit cards.
For more information, please go to http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/identity-theft/

October 2, 2007 OTTAWA . The federal government.s plan to amend the Criminal Code to better address identity theft is a welcome first step towards stopping the explosion of a costly and emotionally devastating fraud, says Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
For more information, please go to http://www.privcom.gc.ca/media/nr-c/2007/nr-c_071002_e.asp

February 2006 Who's Stealing Your Identity? Global identity thieves may know their way around your computer better than you do. Welcome to the scary new world of zombies, RATs, Trojan horses and evil twins. Digital Nightmare: The explosive growth in Internet commerce and the spread of broadband connections have given hackers new opportunities to target the unaware. Online theft costs American victims some $265 million a year.
For more information, please go to http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/upgrade/2311036.html?page=1

November 2, 2005 - RCMP says Identity theft has become an increasingly popular crime in Canada as a result of recent advances in technology. Identity theft involves stealing or hijacking the identity of another person - or in some cases of a business - and provides an effective means to commit other crimes. Vital information such as name, address, date of birth, social insurance number, and mother.s maiden name need to be acquired in order to complete the impersonation. The identity thief can take over the victim.s financial accounts, open new bank accounts, transfer bank balances, apply for loans, credit cards and other services, purchase vehicles, take luxury vacations, and so on.
For more information, please go to http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/

October 20, 2005 - Privacy Commissioner of Canada to appear before House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. The Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Jennifer Stoddart, will be appearing before the House of Commons Committee to discuss her Office.s Annual Reports tabled recently in Parliament . the 2004-2005 Annual Report on the Privacy Act and the 2004 Annual Report on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
For more information please see http://www.privcom.gc.ca/

October 10, 2005 - The office of the privacy commissioner of Canada released case summaries that offer concrete examples of, and guidance on, how the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act applies to the day-to-day management of personal information by organizations. The subject of the complaints is varied, ranging from privacy of health information, to financial confidentiality, to personal information-handling practices of different organizations.
For more information go to http://www.privcom.gc.ca/

July 2005 – Consumer’s Measures Committee ramps up to play more of a consultative role for Identity theft in Canada. In January 2004, Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Consumer Affairs recognized the serious concern that identity theft poses for consumers, leaving victims with a poor credit rating, ruined reputation and money losses. The ministers agreed, as a first step, to harmonize information efforts to bring consumers the most reliable and complete information on how to reduce the risk of becoming a victim. A multi-jurisdictional CMC working group has been struck to examine this and other consumer issues relating to identity theft.
For more go to http://cmcweb.ca/

July 8, 2005 - MPP Tony Ruprecht, introduced his private bill 174 in the Legislature on March 3, 2005. If given the support of other members of the Legislature, it should become a Law which will help curb the identity theft and alleviate numerous inequities presently existing between consumers and the banking sector.
For more go to http://www.consumerfederationcanada.ca/press8mar05.html

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Mr. Casey Goossens
President and CEO
idAlerts Canada Inc.

CaseyG@idAlerts.ca