Fraud Prevention Month

Protect Yourself with #FellowesProtects

March 21, 2015 By Lena 9 Comments

I’ve been a victim of identity theft. It can happen to you.

In my case, over $12,000 was charged to my account in just over six hours. I found out in the most inconvenient fashion; while exiting a parking garage after a rare romantic dinner with my husband, both our credit cards were declined at the checkpoint. Confused and frustrated – though lucky to have carried some cash that day – we arrived home to find two voice messages from VISA, asking us to call their fraud centre immediately.

Read about my ordeal here.

So, how can you protect yourself? From the Fellowes ID Theft Prevention Kit:

Shred, Shred, Shred! Invest in a good cross-cut shredder. Companies such as Fellowes make various models available at all price points. Shred all old bills, bank statements, credit card bills, receipts, personal documents and anything with your name or address on it.

Go paperless. Most companies (phone, cable, banks) offer customers the option to not have bills sent to their homes. This eliminates excess paper as well as lessens the chance someone else will pick up or intercept your mail. …

Protect Yourself: The #FellowesProtects Twitter Party

March 23, 2014 By Lena

If you read my post Protect Yourself with #FellowesProtects, you’ll know that like so many, I’ve been a victim of credit card fraud. And, I don’t want the same to happen to you! Be sure to check out the Top 10 Documents You Should be Shredding, and enter to win a Fellowes Powershred 63cb Cross-Cut Shredder to help protect against identity theft. (Giveaway ends in two weeks! Good luck!)

Since March is Fraud Prevention Month and I’ve got Family Travel on my mind, I’m eager to share the following tips to Protect Yourself from Identity Fraud while on Vacation:

1. Put a hold on your mail. If you are planning to be gone for an extended period of time (a week or more), it’s a good idea to put a hold on all your mail (bank statements, credit card bills etc…).

2. Take out the garbage. Don’t leave any personal items that are not shredded in your blue bins or garbage cans. If thieves notice you are away, it doesn’t take long to go through your bills and obtain information leading to fraud.

3. Alert Credit Card Companies. Be sure to let your credit card providers know you will be travelling, so if any suspicious charges appear on your card, they will know ahead of time. Also, this will help them keep track of other possibly suspicious charges that could appear elsewhere.

4. Limit Online Banking. If you use internet cafes or other public- usage computers, ensure you log out of all sites that may give out personal information – especially when on a public computer.

5. Keep your wallet light. Travel with as few cards and personal information as possible. Lock all valuables in your hotel safe or your suitcase. Pickpockets are more common than you think!

6. Never leave valuables unattended. Be sure to never leave your passport, birth certificate credit cards etc. lying around your hotel room. Most hotels provide a safe in each room, so use it!

7. Keep a close watch on your bills. When you get home from your vacation, ensure you thoroughly check your bank statements and credit card bills for any possibly suspicious activity.

8. Choose ATMs carefully. Banks have been reporting more and more ATM-skimming crimes. This is when thieves insert a card reader into an ATM to capture your account information and PIN number when you use your card. It’s best to stick with ATMs located directly in a bank.

Looking for more information? Be sure to like Fellowes Canada on Facebook to gain access to a great variety of ID Theft Prevention Resources, including an ID Theft Prevention Kit, Shredding Tips, What To Do if You’re a Victim and more. And for a great chat focused on keeping your personal information safe and secure, please join us at the @FellowesCanada #FellowesProtects Twitter Party!

Join us on Wednesday, March 26th at 8pm EDT as we tweet up a storm with important, relevant information perfectly timed for Fraud Prevention Month, and in advance of tax season! Of course, we’ll have amazing prizes up for grabs:

2 x 63Cb shredders (retail value $189.99)
2 x P-12C shredders (retail value $99.97)
4 x 4-pk of Fellowes Bankers Box R-Kive boxes (retail $19.99)

RSVP below for a chance to win, and see you on Wednesday night!…

Protect Yourself with #FellowesProtects

March 8, 2014 By Lena

Note: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. And I’ve been fooled before: a victim of credit card fraud, over $12,000 was charged to my account in just over six hours. I found out in the most inconvenient fashion; while exiting a parking garage after a rare romantic dinner with my husband, both our credit cards were declined at the checkpoint. Confused and frustrated – though lucky to have carried some cash that day – we arrived home to find two voice messages from VISA, asking us to call their fraud centre immediately.

So, we knew one of our credit cards had been compromised. However, thanks to insurance and card-user safeguards, we wouldn’t be responsible for the fraudulent charges. Still, we were impacted in the following ways:

1) My credit card was immediately cancelled, which meant that for this shopaholic, I had to wait up to 10 business days before a replacement would arrive. As I had holiday shopping to complete, it was highly frustrating.

2) A new card meant a new card number – which required several phone calls to creditors who auto-charge my card monthly. Between the insurance company, the cable company, utilities and various charitable organizations, I reckon I spent hours getting everything updated in their systems.

3) That feeling of being victimized. So, someone got a hold of my financial details and someone went on a shopping spree in San Francisco. But who? And more importantly, HOW?

The truth is, I have no idea how my credit card was compromised. But I immediately realized that there were steps I could take to prevent fraudulent activity; everything from safeguarding my PIN to ensuring that I don’t give thieves access to my personal and banking information – especially via documents that have been carelessly thrown away. Think about it – when was the last time you tossed a credit card statement in the trash? You could have tossed a thief everything he needs to steal your identification.

March is Fraud Prevention Month. According to Sylvain Patry, senior vice president of ProtectionPower.ca and identity theft expert, “shredding documents isn’t just for businesses and people with something to hide. Canadian households are full of documents that contain potentially compromising information.”…