Identity Theft in Canadian Criminal and Regulatory Statutes

A previous issue of E-TIPS® (Vol 5, No 8, "New York State Enacts Three Identity Theft Laws", October 11, 2006) noted recently passed New York State identity theft legislation. This new legislation is in addition to three existing New York State anti-ID theft laws: the Security Freeze Law, the Disposal of Personal Records Law and the Anti-Phishing Act of 2006. By contrast, Canadian laws do not specifically address Internet-based ID theft such as phishing, or pharming, which are variants of schemes designed to trick a consumer into divulging personal information. Further, with some exceptions, the Canadian legislation tends to be of more general application, rather than specifying particular technological tools or systems. For a review of Canadian criminal and regulatory provisions that may be brought into play by identity theft activity, link to the more extensive article with the same title. Summary by: Andrei Edwards