(To the tune of Winter Wonderland)
Christmas time and we’re shopping
our ID we’re protecting
our PIN out of sight our credit’s alright
living in a fraud free wonderland
credit cards can be altered
online deals that are absurd
looking for scams
websites that are shams
living in a fraud free wonderland
stores are doing everything that they can
to make sure that nothing’s going down
asking for too much ID
say “no, man”
shred receipts – don’t leave them lying ‘round
watch for thieves
‘cause they conspire
to take advantage of the buyer
but we’re not afraid
our credit will fade
living in a fraud free wonderland
Tips for Consumers
- Cyber-crooks are gearing up for the holidays so stay alert against fraudsters who will make merry with your online personal information. Online tips for consumers:
- Research your merchant – look at customer ratings, and the merchant’s privacy and security policy.
- Reputable merchants usually send you an e-mail confirming your order.
- Use a low limit credit card for online purchases and one that provides you with specific guarantees, such as 100% coverage for any losses due to fraud when shopping on the web.
- Watch for spyware, adware, or other internet attacks as you conduct online transactions
- Don’t use the same username and password at every website. If your personal information is compromised, a thief will not get very far if you use different passwords and usernames on different websites
- Never share your website passwords and online banking account information with anyone
- If a product or service looks too good to be true, it probably is
- When asked for your personal information such as your name, address, telephone number, ask the store merchant why she is collecting it and how it will be used.
- Keep your credit card receipts to check against your monthly credit card statement.
- Shred sales receipts, and other paper that displays your credit/debit card number or bank account numbers – thieves are known to sort through residential trash to find these items which may be used to commit identity fraud.
- Beware of slick professional-looking phishing emails or malware which try to get you to disclose your financial and personal information.
- Don’t give your PIN to anyone or write the number down (e.g. on your debit card).
- Don’t leave purses or wallets in your vehicle, or unattended in a store.
- Don’t carry your SIN card or birth certificate in your wallet.
- Cover the pin pad with your hand when entering your PIN into a debit card machine or ATM.
- Keep an eye on your credit card when you give it to the store clerk or waiter – make sure it’s not out of your sight.
- If you see something suspicious relating to point of sale terminals or ATMs, report it to the store merchant.
Tips for Merchants
- Retailers are reminded that it is the law under the Personal Information Protection Act to protect customer and employee information.
- Don’t collect information if you don’t need it.
- For fraud prevention purposes, you may ask to see proof of identity when a customer pays with a credit card, but it is not reasonable to record the driver’s license number or photocopy the ID.
- Only employees who “need-to-know” should have access to personal information.
- Make sure that credit card numbers are properly obscured or truncated by point of sale terminals.
- Point of sale terminals should be visible to consumers: credit and debit cards should not disappear under the counter to be swiped.
- Know how your point of sale terminal operates – do you know if the hard drive collects and stores customer credit and debit card information?
- Protect personal information – store paper records securely; ensure information on your computers is protected with adequate safeguards, such as passwords; shred or securely dispose of all customer information once it is no longer needed.
- Train and retrain staff about your refund policy so they can explain to customers why you collect customer personal information and how it will be used.