MONTREAL, Nov. 1, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - On October 31, the Sûreté du Québec informed Desjardins that the privacy breach, which was initially announced on June 20, appears to have affected the data of 4.2 million individual caisse members who do their banking with Desjardins in Quebec and Ontario. There is no information at this time about whether or not more business members have been affected. As a reminder, this situation only involves caisse members who use Desjardins banking services in Quebec and Ontario.
As of now, according to the information shared by the SQ, there is still only one suspect who worked at Desjardins who is linked to this privacy breach.
Desjardins would like to emphasize that from July onward, all caisse members who do their banking with Desjardins in Quebec and Ontario have been protected by Desjardins identity protection. This protection is provided at no cost, and no registration is required. In addition, Desjardins is now extending the Equifax credit monitoring service to all caisse members.
"Since the privacy breach was first announced, we've made it clear that we intended to enhance the Desjardins identity protection service. During our appearance today at the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, we had already been planning to announce that all caisse members who use AccèsD to do their banking with Desjardins in Ontario and Quebec are now eligible for a 5-year credit monitoring service from Equifax, paid for by Desjardins," stated Guy Cormier, President and CEO of Desjardins Group.
The Equifax credit monitoring service includes:
- Daily access to members' credit scores on the Equifax website
- Equifax credit report monitoring and alerts of key changes
Desjardins will begin gradually sending activation codes to caisse members' AccèsD inboxes next week. Members who received a letter after the announcement in June will not be contacted a second time. Members interested in viewing their Equifax credit report and receiving notifications of key changes to their credit will need to activate the service by April 30, 2020. Our teams are currently working to find the best possible alternative for our caisse members who don't use AccèsD.
Desjardins would like to remind its members that there was no spike in fraud cases, either before or after the privacy breach was announced on June 20.
Desjardins identity protection is here to stay, and Desjardins will continue to improve it on an ongoing basis, in response to feedback from members. Detailed information about this protection is available at Desjardins.com/personal-information.
Desjardins identity protection has three components:
- Protection: Caisse members' accounts and assets at Desjardins are fully protected against unauthorized transactions.
- Support: Personal support is provided at every step of the identity restoration process if a caisse member's personal information is used for fraudulent purposes.
- Reimbursement: If a caisse member's identity is stolen, they may be reimbursed up to $50,000 for certain expenses incurred while restoring their identity.
Caisse members can also use the Credit Score feature in AccèsD to check their TransUnion credit report.
About Desjardins Group
Desjardins Group is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the fifth largest cooperative financial group in the world, with assets of $310.9 billion. It has been rated one of Canada's Top 100 Employers by Mediacorp. To meet the diverse needs of its members and clients, Desjardins offers a full range of products and services to individuals and businesses through its extensive distribution network, online platforms and subsidiaries across Canada. Ranked among the World's Strongest Banks according to The Banker magazine, Desjardins has one of the highest capital ratios and credit ratings in the industry.
SOURCE Desjardins Group
Media Relations, Public Relations, Desjardins Group, 514-281-7000 or 1-866-866-7000, ext. 5553436, [email protected]
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