3 ways to protect your personal information after a major corporate data leak
Keep scammers’ hands off your data & money with professional identity theft protection.
Fraud is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the country, with Canadians losing more than $704 million to fraudulent activity last year alone.
Identity theft is one of the most commonly reported types of fraud, perhaps due to the rise of artificial intelligence technology, which makes it easy to impersonate real people, create false documents and scrape large amounts of data from all over the web.
Preventing your personal information from falling into the wrong hands is harder than ever. But in the event of a data breach, these professional services can help you recover and get back on your feet quickly.
Learn more about Equifax Complete Protection
Immediate triage: Know when you’re at risk
When it comes to identity protection, you need solutions that proactively safeguard your data and swiftly notify you of potential threats.
Equifax CompleteTM Protection does just that with Credit Alerts and Dark Web Monitoring.
Fraudsters often use stolen information to borrow money or finance sizable purchases. Credit Alerts let you know when a new credit account appears on your Equifax credit report or your Equifax credit score has changed.
Speed is crucial. As soon as you’re alerted to suspicious activity, you can immediately contact lenders to put a stop to unauthorized transactions—every second counts towards minimizing your losses.
Similarly, Social Media Monitoring alerts you of account impersonations or takeovers, phishing campaigns and identity theft.
Equifax also has your back in hidden markets where scammers trade stolen data, such as credit card and bank account numbers, passport numbers and Social Insurance Numbers.
Dark Web Monitoring scans illicit forums and notifies you if your information is found, giving you the chance to freeze your accounts or change your passwords before any damage is done.
Professional restoration: Get expert help
Recovering from identity theft can be stressful, especially if you’re shouldering the burden alone. Get professional help from a dedicated Identity Restoration Specialist when you sign up for Equifax CompleteTM Protection.
Avoid the overwhelming feeling of not knowing where to begin or what to do next. The specialist assigned to your case will walk you through every step of the process of regaining control over your identity until the job is complete.
Additionally, your specialist will place fraud alerts with Equifax and TransUnion (Canada’s two main credit bureaus) and contact merchants, financial institutions, and other third parties on your behalf to notify them of fraud and dispute transactions. Records of correspondence will be created for future reference.
Financial safety net: Don’t shoulder the cost of identity theft alone
The cost of recovering a stolen identity can be high.
While some estimates place the total amount at over $1,000, this doesn’t take into account the substantial time spent on identity restoration, the damage to your credit score, the impact on your criminal record (if illegal activity was committed in your name) and the emotional toll the entire ordeal can take.
Choosing to pursue legal action can bring your total expenses even higher.
However, you don’t have to worry about the cost of recovering your identity with a package like Equifax CompleteTM Protection, which includes up to $1 million in insurance coverage for expenses related to recovering your identity (this feature is not available in Quebec).
Among the costs that may be covered are lost wages as well as fees for lawyers, experts, applications, court filings, notarizations, replacement ID cards and more.
Backed by strong professional and financial assistance, it’s more than possible to regain peace of mind after suffering from an identity hack.
Learn more about Equifax CompleteTM Protection