Following the recent events surrounding the theft of data from Desjardins, many of you have expressed your concerns.

Whether you're one of the 2.7 million members affected, or you're concerned about your identity, there are simple ways to protect your personal information. Here's our advice.

What to do if you are a victim of a security breach at Desjardins?

• Check your bank and credit card statements frequently for unauthorized transactions.

• Check your credit report regularly to make sure that the accounts on it don't contain debts you haven't incurred. It's a good idea to consult your credit file at each of the two credit agencies, Equifax and TransUnion. In fact, these two files can sometimes contain different entries.
  For more information on credit files, consult this guide this guide produced by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

• If you have received a letter to this effect, we recommend that you register for the Equifax service offered free of charge by Desjardins, to gain easier access to your credit file . Desjardins members can also access their TransUnion credit file free of charge via the AccèsD interface (this service is also offered by other financial institutions).

• Beware of fraudulent e-mails, text messages and phone calls. Fraudsters may try to obtain your personal information by pretending to be representatives of Desjardins or Equifax. A serious company will never call you to ask for personal information.

What to do if you discover you've been the victim of of identity theft?

• Contact the financial institutions and companies where fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name to have them cancelled.

• Put a fraud alert on your credit file at Equifax and TransUnion. This will alert lenders to verify your identity before extending credit.

• Call the police or go to your local station to file a report. Keep the event number.

• Report identity theft to the Anti-Fraud Centre (toll-free: 1-888-495-8501). This organization is responsible for tracking fraud complaints in Canada.

• Depending on the circumstances, other steps may be necessary, such as cancelling your credit cards or issuing new identification.

To support you in these steps and obtain more information, you can contact the Desjardins Assistance Service (toll-free: 1-800-224-7737).

For more information on identity theft, you can also consultOption consommateurs 's guide to identity theft..