Conducting a credit bureau check

It's good practice to regularly conduct a credit bureau report to check for any unauthorized activity such as fraud, identity theft or online crime.

If you have been a victim of fraud, identity crime or financial scams, please follow these steps:

1. File a complaint with the Calgary Police Service and obtain a police case number.
2. Contact your bank, credit card company and any other credit grantors to inform them that you may be a victim of frauldulent activity. Provide them with your police case number to place on file. This may mean that the next time you apply for credit you will be questioned more thoroughly as a precautionary measure. The credit grantor wants to make sure that you are, in fact, the person you say you are.
3. Provide the police case number and have fraud alerts placed on your credit reports to either of the two credit bureau companies, Equifax or TransUnion in Canada.
4. Report the incident to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or 1-888-495-8501.

Obtaining credit history report

We recommend that you conduct a credit bureau check on an annual basis. In Canada there are two major credit bureaus, Equifax and TransUnion.

National Consumer Relations
Contact Equifax:

P. O. Box 190, Station Jean-Talon
Montreal, Quebec H1S 2Z2
Toll-free: 1-800-465-7166
Phone: 514-493-2314
Fax: 514-355-8502

Contact TransUnion:

Credit Bureau, Fraud department
TransUnion Consumer Relations Department
P.O. Box 338, LCD1
Hamilton, Ontario L8L 7W2
Toll-free: 1-800-663-9980

The Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) works on behalf of 54 domestic banks, foreign bank subsidiaries and foreign bank branches operating in Canada and their employees. It provides governments and others with a centralized contact to all banks on matters relating to banking in Canada. The CBA advocates for effective public policies that contribute to a sound, successful banking system that benefits Canadians and Canada's economy.