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FILLER FIRE AND ICE 4.250x196 COL=4C Close to Home. Far from Ordinary. 310 Guelph St., Georgetown 905-873-4405 JUST IN TIME FOR JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER 30% OFF ALL IN-STORE 30% OFF ALL IN-S ELLE JEWELERYELLE JEWELE See instore for other additional items at 30% OFFSee instore or other a ditional items at 30% OF family optical Quality & Vision In Sight Eye Exams Arranged GEORGETOWN 280 Guelph St., Georgetown Market Place 905-873-3050 www.familyoptical.ca Serving Halton Hills for the past 18 years OPTICAL SUMMER SAVINGS SAVE UP TO on a complete pair of Prescription Glasses $5000 Expires July 31, 2008 tc 2 Canada Day, Wednesday, June 25, 2008 If someone stole your identity, how would you know? Here are some ways to protect yourself. Monitor your credit rating and accounts Check your credit rating every year or two through Equifax or TransUnion, says Chartered Accountant Jennifer Fiddian-Green, a forensic accounting partner with Grant Thornton LLP in Toronto. She herself was a victim of identity theft and investigated her own case. Make sure everything on your credit report is correct and if its not, follow up right away. Also monitor your bank, credit card and loan or mortgage state- ments for unauthorized transactions. Pay attention to anything unusual If you stop receiving bank or credit card statements or dont receive new or replacement credit cards, bank cards or cheques, it could mean that your person- al information has been stolen, says Chartered Accountant Andrew Shin, a director of Wintrip Wolkoff Shin Inc., a Toronto forensic accounting firm. Another sign is being denied a bank loan or credit card when you should have a good credit rating. Fiddian-Green realized someone had stolen her identity to commit fraud when she began receiving phone calls from financial institutions claiming she owed them money. Dont ignore phone calls like that, even if you think they have nothing to do with you, because it could be a sign of identity theft, she says. Act quickly if you suspect identity theft Contact the financial institution immediately to determine what has hap- pened, advises Shin. Review your cred- it rating and contact the land registry office to determine if property has been falsely registered in your name. Fiddian-Green, who spent more than 200 hours dealing with the financial fall- out of identity theft, says its important to make the financial institutions involved understand that you had nothing to do with the fraud and are not responsible for paying them back. Some people have the misconception that they are responsi- ble, she says. But youre as much of a victim as the defrauded financial institu- tions are. Protect your personal information Dont disclose your Social Insurance Number (SIN), bank card personal iden- tification number (PIN) or credit card security numbers unless youre certain the person or organization you are deal- ing with is legitimate and that the disclo- sure is necessary, says Shin. Shred sensitive documents and dont put anything with your address or other identifying information in the recycling bin. Be careful when filling out applica- tion forms and when asked for an elec- tronic signature, adds Fiddian-Green. Ask who has access to the information and how they are protecting it. Once you give out information, you lose control of it. Talk to a Chartered Accountant If you are a victim of identity theft, a CA can help you understand what is happen- ing and give you the confidence to deal with the financial institutions involved, says Fiddian-Green. A CA can also help you determine whether your accounts and properties are registered in the prop- er way. News Canada Protect yourself against identity theft