Photo Credit: Clint M Chilcott on Flickr

It’s hard to believe, but yes, I came all the way from Brazil to have my identity stolen in Canada. After two months of dealing with the Vancouver Police Department, credit reporting agencies, banks, cell phone providers and credit card companies, I can proudly say that my name is clean again and I am much smarter when it comes to protecting my identity.

First Signs

I first suspected that someone else was taking advantage of my credit reputation in August 2009 when Mr. Ames received his tax return but my cheque didn’t arrive in our mailbox. Since it was the first time that I was filing my taxes as a permanent resident in Canada, I thought the delay could be explained by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) standard procedures. I contacted CRA later in August and they informed me that my tax return had been sent to my previous address, but they would send me a claim form to be filled out and returned to them.

The form arrived in September and as instructed, I filled it out and returned it to the CRA. Since I didn’t receive any answer, I decide to call the CRA again and inquire about the replacement cheque. It turned out that my first cheque had been cashed and because of that I had to fill out another CRA form in front of a notary public stating that I had neither cashed nor endorsed the first cheque. The form arrived in late September and I received the second cheque in December. Problem solved, right? Wrong!

The people who had the guts to cash my cheque received my notice of assessment with it that included my full social insurance number (SIN). One of the first things that I tell to all newcomers that I meet is to never carry their SIN cards with them because if they lose it anyone can use their name to acquire credit. Ironically, that was exactly what happened to me! Apparently, when the fake Veronica cashed my cheque she presented a fake SIN card and a driver’s license with my name. She also went to Fido and bought three cell phones. Luckily, my credit report is new and she didn’t have the opportunity to steal any more money or services.

What should you do next?

Since I am a newcomer, I thought that my credit card applications were being denied because of  a lack of credit history and didn’t bother to check what my credit score was. I only discovered that my name was being used by someone else when the company that cashed the first cheque called me in January asking for the money. Since I hadn’t ever been to any of their stores, I realized that something was wrong.

I rushed to the internet and discovered that I should contact the police and report what happened. If you’re going through the same thing, the Vancouver Police Department’s non-emergency phone number is (604) 717-3321. The officers who assisted me with the police report were really helpful. They knocked on our door 10 minutes after I hung up the phone and after they left, I had the incident number that would help me clear my  name.

The next step was to contact Equifax and TransUnion. I had the most traumatic experiences with both agencies and didn’t encounter any helpful soul working in their call centres. The standard script was “You need to send us a letter addressed to our fraud department explaining what happened along with two pieces of photo ID.” In my case, things were extra painful because both Equifax and TransUnion had changed my date of birth (something that I will never understand) and my home address. According to both services they “update” your information according to what the credit providers report to them. In my world, that would raise a flag!

Then, I started calling all the services that had inquired about my credit: Dell Financial Services, Fido and Telus. Once again, I was surprised to see that neither Fido/Rogers nor Dell Financial Services have a fraud strategy in place. If they have, they haven’t informed their call centre staff about it! Telus was super helpful and told me that according to the last log of the agent who opened the file using my SIN number, Telus required the fake Veronica to go to a Telus store and present two pieces of ID in order to open an account with them. Lots of points to Telus!

I was only able to remove the Dell Financial Services and Fido/Rogers inquiries from my credit report through Equifax and TransUnion. Once they decided that I was myself, I spent a great deal of time on the phone telling Equifax and TransUnion what was a fraudulent activity and what was not. Fido/Rogers called me in February trying to get my correct information, but I refused to share any information with them for two reasons: I am not their client and I was afraid that they would transfer the fake Veronica‘s debt to me. I informed Fido/Rogers that they should call the VPD and inquire about my case, which I doubt they did.

What Did I Learn?

After three months living this nightmare, I learned a lot about the Canadian bank system and I was really surprised to realize how fragile it is. However, there is a lot that you can do to avoid what happened to me. Here are some the top examples:

- Always keep your mailing address up to date with the CRA, your bank and other services that you buy on a regular basis;

- Don’t assume that your mailing address will change on CRA’s records if you file your taxes online. You need to actually call the CRA in order to change your mailing address, otherwise they will send your tax return with your notice of assessment to your previous address;

- Set up extra passwords with your bank and services that you deal with on a regular basis;

- Check your credit every six months. If you identify any strange activity under your name, contact both Equifax and TransUnion immediately.

If you’ve been a victim of identity theft in Canada, you can start by contacting the police. They will be able to help you with the next steps to get your name back!