Man Allegedly Steals Identity, Withdraws $1.2 Million

There aren’t many downsides to being a millionaire, but here’s one: you have more to lose.

Police are looking for a 41-year-old Toronto resident who they say withdrew $1.2 million from a Canadian bank account by impersonating someone he knew. And several other people familiar with the suspect have come forward saying they were also scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Shaun David Rootenberg, is described as:

• White
• 5’8″, 165 lbs.
• Receding dark brown/grey hair

He has been known to wear glasses and drives a black 2006 BMW X5.

If you have any information, call police at 416-808-3200 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477), to remain anonymous.

Here are some tips on how to protect your personal information and what to do if you’re the victim of identity theft:

Minimizing Your Risk

What’s It For?
Before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and if it will be shared.

Kill Bill I
Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don’t arrive on time. Someone else may have them and the information on them can be very valuable.
 
Kill Bill II
Guard your mail. Deposit outgoing mail only in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery. Ensure your mail is forwarded or re-routed if you move or change your mailing address.

Password Protection
Utilize passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts.  Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SIN or your phone number.

Strength Not In Numbers
Minimize the identification information and number of cards you carry.

Loose Lips Sink Credit Ratings
Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you’ve personally initiated the contact or know who you’re dealing with.

Don’t Get Personal
Keep items with personal information in a safe place. An identity thief can pick through your garbage or recycling bins. Be sure to tear or shred receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements and credit offers you get in the mail.

Too Much Info Is A SIN
Give your Social Insurance Number only when absolutely necessary. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible. If they insist, wonder why or consider going elsewhere. And don’t carry your SIN card. Leave it in a secure place instead.

Courtesy of Phonebusters

What Happens If You’re A Victim?

O.K., you’ve done everything you can and somehow, a thief has still gotten your vital information and is now using your good name to do some very bad things. The crime can range from taking out a credit card in your name and charging up a big bill to trying to steal your home out from under you using mortgage fraud.

What should you do if that phone call mentioned above comes to your home number?

Bank On It
First contact your bank. Make sure your account and your money is secure. If necessary, change your account number. You can ask your bank to require them to ask you a question only you would know every time you make a transaction at your teller. That way, whoever is posing as you can’t make any unscheduled withdraws.

Call The Cops
Next, report the matter to police. In the end, there’s not a lot they can do if you’re one of thousands whose information was stolen from a corporation’s computer. But having it on record is a good idea in case there are further complications you may not be expecting down the road.

You never know when you’ll be contacted by someone accusing you of cheating them of money you never actually had anything to do with. In some cases, it can take months for the fraud to appear, long after you thought the problem had been taken care of.

Protect Your Credit
There are two main credit rating agencies in Canada – Equifax and Trans Union. While most large chains or credit card companies won’t hold you liable for items bought fraudulently using your name, identity thieves can ruin your credit rating, affecting everything from your next car purchase to your plans to get a mortgage or finance your kids’ education.

Contact both of the entities. Tell them what happened to you (they’ll know what to do – they’ve been dealing with this problem for a long time.) They can put a note on your file indicating that you’ve been a victim of the crime, and any future company that contacts them will be instantly aware to check on whoever is trying to take out that giant loan or make that huge purchase.

They can also send you your credit report to allow you to check on how much – if any – damage may have already been done to your credit rating. It’s a good idea to get one of these mailed to you every 6 months to a year even if you haven’t been a victim, just to be sure this important stat is maintained in good order.

Equifax Canada
Report fraud: 1-800-465-7166
Equifax website

Trans Union Canada
Report fraud: 1-800-663-9980
Trans Union website

Write It Down
Finally, be sure to record everything for your records. What was the name of the detective you talked to? What was the date and time you spoke to him or her? And what did they tell you? Get a case number and keep a record of it.

Do the same thing every time you contact cops or your credit agency. Having all the facts and figures with you at a moment’s notice is your best proof of your story if a collection agency comes calling.

Other Contacts
PhoneBusters National Call Centre (PNCC)
1-888-495-8501

When Can You Relax?

After you’ve made all these calls – and yes, it IS a hassle – you can take it a bit easier. But remember your Social Insurance Number is out there now, and it’s almost impossible to change it. So the sad truth is you may have to be on your guard for the rest of your life. Your best bet: if you can help it, don’t let yourself get into this position in the first place. Unfortunately, in all too many cases, it’s not entirely in your control.