The main reasons cited by those who have taken no action to guard against identity theft are (% reporting): they don't feel the need to, they don't know enough about it or how to protect themselves from it, they don't think it's possible to prevent it

% of Canadians have already been a victim of identity theft, % know someone who has been a victim, In the event of identity theft, % of Canadians would contact their police department, financial institution, their home or life and health insurer, alarm system provider, % would prefer for the organization they turn to for help in case of identity theft to act on their behalf, % of respondents believe that the organization should provide them with all the necessary information so that they can take action themselves

% say they would not know who to call or what steps to take to restore their name and credit if they were a victim of identity theft, # of reported victims of identity theft (Jan-Oct 2006), Total $ lost

% say concern has led to the use or purchase of a paper shredder, % say they now review, rather than toss away, their monthly financial statements and pay closer attention to the way merchants handle their credit and/or debit card when shopping, % do not review their credit report at least once per year to check for errors or unfamiliar activity

The topics Canadians are most interested in learning about. % reported: the steps to take if a victim of identity theft, the latest scams being used by criminals to gain personal information, the individual's role and responsibility if they become a victim of identity theft, how to read and understand a credit report.

% admit to either "always", "regularly", or "sometimes" throw out junk mail without reading it, % say that if they received an unsolicited credit card application or pre-approved cheques from a credit card company, they would put them in the garbage as is, % interest in knowing more about how to protect themselves from identity theft, % of those who don't already own a shredder say they're most likely to buy one within the next year as a precautionary measure against identity theft, % of Canadians have access to or personally own a paper shredder. .