Seven in Ten (72%) `Concerned' About Falling Victim to Identity Theft

Toronto, ON - A new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Capital One reveals that a strong majority of Canadians continue to worry about identity theft. In fact, nearly three quarters (72%) of Canadians are `concerned' about becoming a victim to identity theft, while just three in ten (28%) are not concerned about the possibility of this occurrence.

Further, it appears that much of this concern is focused around the online world, with one third (33%) claiming that they do not make purchases online, and a majority (56%) indicating that they `have backed out of or not completed an online purchase because of concerns about security and identity theft'.

Despite the fact that one third (33%) of Canadians indicate that they or someone close to them has personally been a victim of identity theft, many Canadians still do not know as much as they could about this issue. In fact, three in ten (31%) agree that they `hear a lot about identity theft' but are `not sure what it means'.

More specifically, only 36% believe that they are `very well informed' about how to protect themselves against identity theft, while the majority (51%) believe they are only `somewhat informed'. One in ten (10%) say they're `not too well informed', while 3% say they're `not at all informed'.

In terms of what to do when and if they fall victim to this type of crime, only six in ten (62%) suggest that they `know who to contact and the steps or process involved' in restoring their name and credit. Further, a majority (52%) of Canadians think that they only have to alert one of the two national credit bureaus when this type of situation occurs, and only one in three (33%) believe that the police need to be contacted even if reported to both bureaus.

As a relatively effective way to determine whether or not one has fallen victim to identity fraud, one third (35%) of Canadians review a copy of their own credit report every year. Two thirds (65%), however, do not.

Strong Dollar Affects Shopping Habits for Many...

The results of the poll also reveal that nearly one half (47%) of Canadians intend to change their shopping habits as a result of the strong dollar. Four in ten (42%) Canadians plan to `shop in Canada but look for retailers who pass on the savings of the higher Canadian dollar' to their customers. Nearly one in ten (7%), though, plan to travel to the United States to shop, while 6% say they'll do some shopping online in U.S. Dollars. A majority (51%) of Canadians, though, do not believe that their shopping habits will change as a result of the stronger dollar.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Capital One from Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2007. For the survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1000 Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

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