Victim of Fraud? Canadian Bankers Association has Tips and Resources to Help

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 28, 2016) - You check your monthly bank statement and notice there are some transactions that you didn't make. You quickly realize you have been a victim of fraud but aren't sure what the next step is. Do you know what you should do and who to contact if you're a victim of fraud?

March is Fraud Prevention Month, and the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) is providing Canadians with resources and tools they can use if they become a victim of fraud.

"Making consumers aware of the different frauds and scams is important so they can try to prevent the fraud from occurring," said Maura Drew-Lytle, Director, Media Relations and Communications at the Canadian Bankers Association. "However criminals are using more sophisticated scams than ever before and it is important consumers know what to do if they happen to be a victim."

Report and delete fraud checklist:

• Stop and delete: If you receive a fraudulent email or phone call asking you to click on a link or reveal personal information, hang up the phone or delete the email.
• Call your bank: If the fraud involves any of your bank, credit card or financial accounts, report the fraud to your financial institution or credit card issuer right away. They will take the appropriate steps to help prevent fraud in your accounts like cancelling and reissuing credit or debit cards, investigating and reversing fraudulent transactions and providing further advice to customers.
• Report it: You can contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report a fraud or scam and also report it to your local police.
• Check your credit report: Contact Canada's credit reporting agencies, TransUnion Canada and Equifax Canada, and obtain a copy of your credit report. If there are creditors on the report that you have not done business with, contact them to let them know you have been a victim of fraud.
• Consider a fraud alert: Consider having a fraud alert put on your credit report. A fraud alert means that creditors must check with you to verify that it was you that made the request.
• Protect your devices: If you haven't already installed anti-virus, anti-spyware and other Internet firewall tools on your computer you should do so as soon as possible. Always make sure these tools are up-to date. And make sure your mobile devices are password protected.

Fraud prevention resources

You can also get more information on fraud prevention and reporting from:

• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
• Resources from Fraud Prevention Forum members
• GetCyberSafe
• Local and provincial police forces
• Your financial institution
• Visa, MasterCard and Interac
• Financial abuse -where to get help
• Your Money Students
• Your Money Seniors

Want more fraud prevention tips and resources? The CBA is issuing tips and information through Twitter (@CdnBankers) and on its website www.cba.ca throughout the month of March. You can also subscribe to our Fraud Prevention Tips at this link:
http://www.cba.ca/en/consumer-information/42-safeguarding-your-money/481-cba-fraud-prevention-tip

The CBA is a member of the Fraud Prevention Forum. The Forum is comprised of a concerned group of private sector firms, consumer and volunteer groups, government agencies and law enforcement organizations, who are committed to fighting fraud aimed at consumers and businesses. Through its partners, the Forum, which is chaired by the Competition Bureau, works to prevent Canadians from becoming victims of fraud by educating them on how to "Recognize it. Reject it. Report it."

About the Canadian Bankers Association

The Canadian Bankers Association works on behalf of 59 domestic banks, foreign bank subsidiaries and foreign bank branches operating in Canada and their 280,000 employees. The CBA advocates for effective public policies that contribute to a sound, successful banking system that benefits Canadians and Canada's economy. The Association also promotes financial literacy to help Canadians make informed financial decisions and works with banks and law enforcement to help protect customers against financial crime and promote fraud awareness. www.cba.ca

Follow the CBA on Twitter: @CdnBankers

Watch videos: Youtube.com/CdnBankers

Follow the CBA on LinkedIn