Identity Theft

What is Identity Theft?

The Government of Ontario states that identity theft is when someone obtains and uses your personal information for criminal activities, often for financial gain (Government of Ontario, 2024).

Identity theft has existed for hundreds of years in rudimentary ways. However, with innovations in technology, the ability to steal a person's identity for financial gain has only become easier.

The most common uses for stolen information are generally recognised as opening new bank accounts, applying for loans, covering recurring rent costs, stealing money from existing accounts, and changing log-in information on government IDs.

Due to the potential for large amounts of financial gain and the fact that most citizens have some form of ID that can be linked to financial accounts, identity theft has always been an enticing prospect for criminals. In 2023, almost 48,900 Canadians reported being the victim of some form of identity related fraud (Government of Canada, 2025).

Criminals will often utilize a mixture of technological and physical techniques to acquire the information needed to steal someone's identity. As stated before, phishing enables the criminal to pose as a separate entity to get the victim to log into nefarious links or install malware. The act of using physical theft to steal envelopes and other mail that can potentially contain government documents. Placing a skimming device on an ATM and collecting log-in information. Utilizing packet sniffing software to obtain log-in information sent over public Wi-Fi. These are all the most common tactics utilized by perpetrators that is recognized by the government (Government of Ontario, 2024).

Since identity theft is so widespread, the government has identified several common patterns between cases that can help the victim identify if they are currently experiencing it. This can be in the form of bills not reaching their house when they are supposed to due to physical theft, receiving calls from collection agencies about accounts that are not owned, financial statements about purchases they did not make, and creditors contacting the victim about credit that they did not apply for. There are several counter measures people can use to help them avoid being victims of identity theft. These can include but are not limited to emptying their mailbox on a regular basis, storing documents that include sensitive information in secure places like a safe or lockbox, shredding documents that contain sensitive information if they are no longer needed and regularly checking banking statements or credit reports for suspicious activity (Government of Ontario, 2024).

Identity theft illustration

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Protection Methods