Identity Theft Prevention When Moving: Protect Your Mail
Mail Forwarding: Your First Line of Defense
Set up Canada Post mail forwarding at least two weeks before your move. The service costs around $107 for one year and redirects all mail from your old address to your new one. Without it, bank statements, tax documents, credit card offers, and government correspondence — all containing personal information — pile up in an unattended mailbox or end up in the hands of new tenants.
Go beyond mail forwarding by updating your address directly with every institution: banks, credit cards, Revenu Québec, the SAAQ (for your driver's licence and vehicle registration), the RAMQ (for your health card), and the Directeur général des élections du Québec. In Quebec, you can update many government services through a single change-of-address form on the Quebec.ca website.
Secure Document Disposal During Your Move
Moving always involves sorting through years of accumulated paperwork. Old bank statements, tax returns, medical records, and pay stubs are goldmines for identity thieves if tossed in recycling. Invest in a cross-cut shredder or use a professional shredding service — Staples and Iron Mountain both offer drop-off shredding in Montreal.
Be equally careful with digital storage. Before recycling or donating old computers, tablets, or phones, perform a factory reset and remove SIM cards and SD cards. For hard drives, use a data-wiping program or physically destroy the drive. Simply deleting files is not enough — data recovery software can retrieve "deleted" personal information in minutes.
Monitor Your Credit After Moving
In the months following your move, monitor your credit reports closely with Equifax and TransUnion — both offer free credit monitoring for Canadians. Watch for unfamiliar accounts, address changes you didn't authorize, or credit inquiries from companies you didn't contact. These are early warning signs that someone is using your identity.
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Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with both bureaus if you suspect your personal information was compromised during the move. In Quebec, the Commission d'accès à l'information (CAI) handles privacy complaints if a moving company mishandled your personal data. Report identity theft to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 and file a police report with the SPVM.
