Albertans avoid becoming victims of fraud: 4 out of 5 shred instead

- TD Canada Trust challenges Albertans to test their fraud savviness to mark Fraud Awareness Month in March -

TORONTO, Feb. 25 /CNW/ - Criminals can forget about rifling through recycling bins for personal information in Alberta. Four out of five Albertans shred their confidential documents to protect themselves from being victims of fraud, 83% of Albertans take this preventive step, making them the most likely in Canada to do so. Overall, 93% of Albertans are being proactive about protecting themselves from fraud, taking steps such as shredding documents and shielding their Personal Identification Number (PIN) (57%), according to the TD Canada Trust Fraud Prevention Month Poll.

"It is very encouraging to see so many Albertans take action to help protect themselves," says Andrea Phillips, Vice President, Payments, TD Canada Trust. "Financial institutions have sophisticated monitoring and detection tools in place and work closely with law enforcement to help protect their customers from fraud. Canadians can take further steps to greatly reduce their risk by becoming aware and taking precautions to protect themselves."

The TD Canada Trust Fraud Prevention Month Poll revealed that other actions taken by Albertans to prevent fraud include speaking with their bank about reducing their daily withdrawal limit (10%) and changing their PIN every couple of months (5%).

Despite taking actions to protect themselves, 88% of Albertans are still worried about being victim of fraud. Is there cause for concern? The poll showed that a few Albertans are engaging in risky behaviour: almost a quarter (24%) of Albertans have sent their credit card number over email, 12% have told someone their debit card PIN and 7% have carried their PIN in their wallet.

"Despite the overwhelming number of Albertans who are taking preventive action, there is still room for improvement. TD Canada Trust is committed to educating people to help replace some risky habits with secure ones," says Phillips.

In support of Fraud Prevention Month, TD Canada Trust developed the following quiz to help Canadians determine how fraud savvy they are and learn what they can do to help protect themselves. Andrea Phillips is available for interviews to discuss the quiz and fraud prevention strategies.

TD CANADA TRUST FRAUD PREVENTION QUIZ:

    
    1)  What does a criminal need to make a copy of your card and access your
        account?
        a) The card -- my Personal Identification Number (PIN) is on the
           stripe
        b) My PIN -- they can use a blank card
        c) The card and my PIN together

    2)  A customer's PIN is located on the magnetic strip on their card
        a) True
        b) False

    3)  How often should you cover the key pad when you enter your PIN?
        a) always
        b) sometimes
        c) never

    4)  What is Phishing?
        a) Looking over someone's shoulder at an ABM to learn their PIN
        b) A scam done over the phone or via email to obtain personal and
           financial information
        c) Rifling through the garbage to look for discarded receipts and
           statements

    5)  A salesperson asks you for your PIN, saying their new keypad doesn't
        stretch that far and they have to enter it themselves. You:
        a) Give them your PIN and debit card
        b) Decline to give them your PIN but continue your transaction and
           move around the counter to enter your PIN yourself
        c) Leave and contact your financial institution

    6)  How often should you check your banking and credit card statements
        for discrepancies?
        a) Always
        b) Often
        c) Never

    7)  You do your banking online, so when you receive your statement in the
        mail you should:
        a) Throw it away without opening it
        b) Read it and put it in the recycling
        c) Read it and shred it

    8)  How secure should you be with your debit and credit cards?
        a) Fairly secure - don't loan them to strangers but it's OK if family
           and friends borrow them
        b) Don't sweat it. If someone steals them you will be reimbursed
        c) Treat them like cash and know where they are at all times

    9)  You go to pay for lunch and your credit card is gone. What should you
        do?
        a) Call your credit card company immediately to report it lost
        b) Dine and dash
        c) Drop by your bank branch a few days later to report it missing

    10) What should you do if you receive an email from your financial
        institution asking for your banking information?
        a) Enter the information
        b) Delete it because your financial institution would never ask for
           your banking information via email
        c) Contact the email sender to find out more

    11) What should you do with expired identification and credit cards?
        a) Throw them away
        b) Save them because you like the way you look in the photo
        c) Shred them

    12. You sell something online to a stranger who sends you a cheque for
        too much and asks you to wire the difference. You should:
        a) do as they ask because you trust the selling site
        b) do as they ask because if the cheque's no good your bank will
           reimburse you
        c) cancel the transaction and rip up the cheque

    Give yourself 2 points for every right answer: 1.c) 2.b) 3.a) 4.b) 5.c)
    6.a) 7.c) 8.c) 9.a) 10.b) 11.c) 12.c)
    

If you scored 20-24: You run a tight ship - your information is pretty safe

    
    -   You have a place for everything and everything is in its place so you
        know almost instantly if something is missing or not right. Now,
        while you may not apply this strategy to every aspect of your life
        (we know about your junk drawer), you know that your debit and credit
        card is safest with you and you know how to keep them from getting
        into the wrong hands.

    -   Not only do you shield your PIN during the transaction but you take
        your transaction record and destroy it when you no longer need it.
        Remember to do the same with any expired identification or personal
        papers you no longer need.

    -   Credit and debit card fraud are rare, and fraudsters tend to pick on
        easy targets, so keep up the good behaviour and you probably don't
        have much to worry about.
    

If you scored 14-18: You know the basics, but there is more you can do to protect yourself

    
    -   Take extra precautions to protect your personal information. Maybe
        you don't share your PIN with anyone - but are you sure your PIN is a
        number that would be hard to guess? Avoid using your birthday or part
        of your phone number.

    -   Since e-mail isn't always secure, you know better than to send
        private information, like your credit card number, this way - but
        remember, not all websites are secure either.

    -   Make sure you are shopping on a secure website or look for merchants
        who use added security features, like Verified by Visa, before
        entering your credit card information.

    -   Also, shred your personal information. There is only one of you,
        let's keep it that way.
    

If you scored under 14: Be careful - you're sharing too much!

    
    -   Take the time to protect what is important - your identity, your
        money and yourself. Don't be so carefree with personal information.
        Never lend your cards to anyone, or give anyone your PIN. Even
        better, memorize your PIN so you don't need to write it down. And,
        never carry your PIN with your wallet.

    -   Unless you initiated the call, do not provide your credit card number
        over the phone.

    -   Though email is a convenient way to contact someone, your financial
        institution will never ask you to verify your banking information
        that way. And remember, that king from a far off land asking you to
        share your bank account information is not actually going to make you
        rich.
    

TD CANADA TRUST FRAUD PREVENTION MONTH POLL

The TD Canada Trust Fraud Prevention Month Poll, conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion, a division of Vision Critical, surveyed adult Canadians with debit and credit cards to gain a better understanding of Canadians' concerns over fraud. The total sample size includes 1,059 working Canadians with polling completed February 9-11, 2010. The total sample yielded 94 people in Alberta.

TD BANK FINANCIAL GROUP

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Financial Group. TD Bank Financial Group is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves more than 18 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in key financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Insurance; Wealth Management, including TD Waterhouse and an investment in TD Ameritrade; U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD Bank Financial Group also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 6 million online customers. TD Bank Financial Group had CDN$557 billion in assets on October 31, 2009. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.

For further information: Carolyn Abbass, Karen McCullough, Paradigm Public Relations, [phone], [email protected], [email protected]; Tashlin Hirani, TD Bank Financial Group, [phone], [email protected]