Majority of Canadians don't know what to do following identity theft

TORONTO, May 30, 2018 /CNW/ - The majority of Canadians (83%) don't know the steps required to restore their identity following a breach.

That's according to new research on the basics of identity theft from Canadian identity restoration service provider dragonfly id. In consultation with ThinkHatch, Haven Insights launched the survey via Fulcrum Exchange to a sample of 425 Canadians from March 2 to March 6 of this year.

The research was launched in order to take the pulse of Canadians' identity theft knowledge and how much they know about the steps required to retrieve data once an identity breach has occurred.

Concerns about online identity theft of personal data and records were highest for young respondents. As age increased, concerns about online identity theft of personal data and records tended to decline.

In addition to not being confident on the steps to take if their identity had been compromised online, more than 65% of respondents rated their knowledge about the ways thieves can steal identity as fair or worse, with less than 5% of people rating their knowledge as very good.

Estimates about the number of hours it takes to restore someone's identity once it has been stolen varied amongst respondents, but almost half (46%) said they thought it would take less than 50 hours to do so.

According to Karey Davidson, President of dragonfly id, a low-level identity theft breach could take between two to five weeks to resolve, while a more comprehensive breach could take up to six months and anywhere from 50 to 175 hours to resolve. "Canadians are becoming increasingly more concerned with the impact of identity theft on their personal and financial lives." says Davidson. "They are unsure about how to deal with the fraud that can result and, in particular, the time and the steps that it takes to resolve a breach."

When it comes to the services available to help with identity theft, 80% of Canadians were unclear on the difference between identity reimbursement and identity restoration. However, respondents did see the value in identity theft restoration, with 83% stating that they see the benefit in a service that restores their identity and saves them time.

The full report can be viewed here: https://dragonflyid.ca/report.pdf

COMPANY INFORMATION

About dragonfly id:
dragonfly id is a Canadian owned company leading the way in offering the most comprehensive and innovative identity restoration service available to Canadians. dragonfly id’s team of certified fraud experts, including law enforcement personnel and lawyers, works with members who become the unfortunate victims of identity theft. In the event one’s identity has been compromised, dragonfly id is a peace of mind, 24/7 service that restores a member’s personal identity allowing them to continue with their daily routine. www.dragonflyid.ca

About ThinkHatch:
ThinkHatch is a Toronto-based, strategic marketing communications agency. Founded in 2017 on an innovative agency structure within the marketing world, ThinkHatch prioritizes producing the utmost quality work for their clients, while emphasizing life balance and well-being for its staff. ThinkHatch leverages a cloud-based, 24/7, freelance network of inspirational team members offering unique expertise in media, strategic marketing, digital, public relations, branding, and event management. www.thinkhatch.ca

 
SOCIAL:
dragonfly id Twitter: https://twitter.com/dragonfly_id
ThinkHatch Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThinkHatchCA

 
MEDIA CONTACT:
Tarah Colcleugh, ThinkHatch, Account Coordinator, [email protected], [phone]

SOURCE dragonfly id

Press contact: Tarah Colcleugh, Account Coordinator, [email protected]