Consumer alert: Debt reduction companies

Beware of "too good to be true offers"

OTTAWA, January 10, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) today issued a Consumer Alert on debt reduction companies. FCAC is warning Canadians: Be very cautious about companies that claim they can negotiate a deal with your creditors so that you will have to pay only part of your debt. This process is often called "debt reduction," "debt settlement," "debt relief" or "debt negotiation."

Consumers who are looking for information on dealing with their debt will find tips on getting out of debt on FCAC's website at fcac.gc.ca.

About FCAC

With educational materials and interactive tools, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) provides objective information about financial products and services to help Canadians increase their financial knowledge and confidence in managing their personal finances. FCAC informs consumers about their rights and responsibilities when dealing with banks and federally regulated trust, loan and insurance companies. FCAC also makes sure that federally regulated financial institutions, payment card network operators and external complaints bodies comply with legislation and industry commitments intended to protect consumers.

You can reach them through the FCAC Consumer Services Centre by calling toll-free 1-866-461-3222 (TTY: 613-947-7771 or 1-866-914-6097) or by visiting their website: fcac.gc.ca.

Pocket Dials/Unintentional 9-1-1 Calls Putting Public at Risk, Impacting Police Resources

Police Say Unintentional Calls from Mobile Devices a Growing Problem in Ontario

TORONTO, January 9, 2012 /Canada NewsWire/ - Police services across Ontario are seeing an increase in pocket dialed and unintentional 9-1-1 calls, which represent a serious threat to public safety and negatively impact police resources according to the Ontario 9-1-1 Advisory Board (OAB) and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP).

"With more and more people using mobile devices, our police services are reporting an increase in unintentional 9-1-1 calls and so-called pocket dials," said Inspector Paulo Da Silva of York Regional Police. "When unintentionally dialed calls are made to 9-1-1 call centres, they become a public safety issue and are a drain on law enforcement resources."

Pocket dials happen when a keypad on a mobile device carried in a pocket, purse, backpack, etc. is accidentally pressed. Unintentional 9-1-1 calls are generated from a mobile device and are not intended as emergency calls.

Unintentional 9-1-1 calls tie up phone lines that deliver 9-1-1 calls to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), which handle 9-1-1 calls. This negatively impacts a PSAP's ability to respond to real emergencies.

The Ontario 9-1-1 Advisory Board brings together police personnel to act as advocates for the 9-1-1 system in the Province of Ontario. OAB is partnering with the OACP to raise public awareness of the unintentional/pocket dialed calls.

The OAB and OACP have found that hundreds of unintentional/pocket dialed 9-1-1 calls are being received daily by police services across Ontario from cell phones and other devices where no emergency exists. For example:

...The Toronto Police Service received 1,227,791 calls to 9-1-1 in 2011. 1 in 5 calls were not valid emergencies. Pocket dials accounted for 107,748, or half of the false calls; misdialed calls to 9-1-1 (116,770) accounted for the remainder.

...York Regional Police received 97,886 unintentional 9-1-1 calls from wireless devices in 2011, accounting for 37.33% of all 9-1-1 calls received.

...London Police Service received 6,622 pocket dials from August to November, 2011, averaging 11.24% of total 9-1-1 calls.

...Peel Regional Police received 80,724 unintentional 9-1-1 calls from wireless devices between June 1st, 2011 and December 31st, 2011, accounting for 33% of the 9-1-1 calls received.

For every unintentional/pocket 9-1-1 call received, a 9-1-1 emergency telecommunicator must determine whether an emergency exists. Every second counts when someone is waiting for an emergency communicator to pick up a 9-1-1 call and dispatch police, emergency medical services, or fire.

"Citizens have the power to stop unintentional 9-1-1 calls from their mobile devices. It could be as simple as locking a key pad or putting the device in stand-by mode," said Chief Matt Torigian, President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. "Such actions do not impact a user's ability to receive a phone call, but may significantly reduce the chance of a pocket dial. To further reduce the pocket dial risk, users should not program 9-1-1 into their devices and should prevent small children from playing with such devices."

Someone who places an unintentional 9-1-1 call should stay on the line. Every 9-1-1 call is taken seriously. When a 9-1-1 caller doesn't respond, that could be a sign of trouble - a possibility an emergency responder can't ignore. Users are urged to let the emergency operator know it was a pocket dial/unintentional call. This will eliminate the need for the emergency operator to call back to determine if there is a legitimate emergency, saving precious seconds and allowing them to move on to the next emergency call.

Citizens can prevent pocket dials or unintentional 9-1-1 calls by:

...Locking keypads using the keypad lock feature. Keypad locks, some of which can be programmed to activate automatically, prevent a mobile device from responding to keystrokes until the user unlocks the keypad using a short combination of key presses.

...Turn off the 9-1-1 auto-dial feature, if your mobile device has one. To determine whether a device has this feature and how to turn it off, check the user manual or the manufacturer's website, or call the service provider.

...Refrain from programming a wireless device to speed or automatically dial 9-1-1.

Simple, easy and free ways for you to create the safest passwords ever

OTTAWA, December 29, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - You will not find it under a Christmas tree or at a Boxing Week sale. It is not a Hanukkah present. But a new online password is definitely the best free gift you can give yourself according to experts at global cloud security leader Trend Micro.

"Before you take advantage of any online shopping bargains or send Season's Greetings to your Facebook friends, give yourself the gift of a strong online password. A strong password keeps personal information safe and secure—while a weak one is like leaving your front door open for anyone to wander in and rifle through your stuff," says Ian Gordon, Trend Micro Canada's marketing chief.

Mr. Gordon and his Ottawa colleagues have come up with their top tips for good passwords:

...Mix it up: Your passwords should be at least eight characters long and include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, and numbers or symbols.

...Be impersonal: Any variation of family names, pets, addresses or important dates isn't secure enough. Spelling them backwards is not safe either as it is a fairly common practice.

...Be unique: Your password should not be a common word in English or any other language. Hackers can use programs that check all words in the dictionary.

...Sequence matters: Don't pick a password that has all of the characters next to each other on a keyboard (12345 or qwerty) because they are easy to figure out.

...Change is good: At least every 90 days. If you think that someone may have gained access to your system or online accounts, change it immediately.

...No sticky notes: Don't store passwords on your computer or on a sticky note next to your screen. Keep it hidden away in a secure location.

...Think it through: If it's too easy to remember, it's probably too easy to figure out as well. You can take a phrase and use the first letters to make a password. For example, "I like to drink 3 cups of coffee" could become the password Il2d3coc.

...Misspell with purpose: It's a good idea to misspell words and add numbers in. Instead of "doghouse" try"doGhoWse219". Since this isn't a real word and it mixes in upper and lower case and numbers, it would be much more secure than the simple "doghouse" password.

...Clever is good: Another good way to come up with a password that you can remember, but is still secure, is to substitute numbers for letters that look somewhat similar. For example, the words "bell tower" can be converted to the password "B377T0w3r", which would be quite hard for anyone to figure out.

About Trend Micro: Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in Internet content security, focuses on securing the exchange of digital information for businesses and consumers. Trend Micro is advancing integrated threat management technology to protect operational continuity, personal information, and property from malware, spam, data leaks and the newest Web threats. A transnational company, with headquarters in Tokyo, and operations in 23 countries including Canada, Trend Micro's trusted security solutions are sold through its business partners worldwide.

Keeping Children Safe Online

New UNICEF report reveals increased risks and best strategies to protect children online

TORONTO, December 13, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - New information on the dangers children face online and the most effective ways parents, caregivers and policy makers can make cyberspace safer are outlined in a report released by UNICEF today.

"Most Canadian children are online," says Marvin Bernstein, UNICEF Canada's Chief Advisor, Advocacy. "This report provides important strategies Canadians must seriously consider to protect children from known and emerging risks online."

The report Child Safety Online: Global challenges and strategies explains that children's online activities are becoming more private and more frequent as mobile phones overtake personal computers as the most popular way to surf the web.

Some activities like 'sexting' (text messaging or sharing sexual images online) are riskier than others. 'Sexting' is usually intended to be a private exchange between two people, but images are often shared with more people and can have devastating impacts including depression, bullying or self-harm.

Young people themselves identify cyberbullying as the most serious online threat. The report explains, cyberbullying can be particularly traumatic because of its anonymity, its capacity to intrude at any time into places that might otherwise be safe for young people and because it is often public and seen by peers.

The report also reveals there are more than 16,000 web pages worldwide depicting millions of child abuse images of tens of thousands of children. Victims are young, with 73 per cent under 10 years old and the content becoming increasingly more graphic and violent.

"Because of our expanding digital world, there are more opportunities for valuable information and education for children than ever before," says Bernstein. "But the Internet has also significantly increased the potential dangers children face. We must respond to these dangers in a balanced and measured way to ensure children are safe."

Protecting Children Online

The first line of defence in protecting children online is ensuring they receive specific, age-appropriate education. Children must understand the risks they face and make informed and responsible choices when they use digital media.

Canada is a global leader in legally protecting children from sexual exploitation both on and offline, but the report has found legislation is only part of the answer. Parents, teachers, policy makers and the private sector all have a role to play. Private companies must be vigilant in removing inappropriate materials from servers and providing child-friendly programs and privacy controls. Social service providers must also recognize the crossover between online and offline abuse and extend recovery services to all children who need them.

Finally, lawmakers must ensure legislation designed to protect children isn't actually harming them. This can be achieved through the use of early child impact assessments. For example, some laws allow for criminal charges for distributing child pornography when teens share sexual images of themselves.

The establishment of a National Children's Commissioner is also an important step in ensuring the development of a nation-wide response strategy to combat online and offline sexual exploitation, abuse and bullying.

"It is impossible to remove all risks that exist online for children," says Bernstein. "But there are many effective strategies to mitigate these risks, while respecting the rights of children and ensuring they benefit from the important opportunities evolving technology can provide."

Advice and sources of information for young people, parents, businesses and others can be found at www.unicef.ca/onlinesafety.


About UNICEF

UNICEF is the world's leading child-focused humanitarian and development agency. Through innovative programs and advocacy work, we save children's lives and secure their rights in virtually every country. Our global reach, unparalleled influence on policymakers, and diverse partnerships make us an instrumental force in shaping a world in which no child dies of a preventable cause. UNICEF is entirely supported by voluntary donations and helps all children, regardless of race, religion or politics. For more information about UNICEF, please visit www.unicef.ca.

Beware of scammers pretending to represent the CRTC

OTTAWA-GATINEAU, December 5, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has been alerted that people claiming to represent the CRTC are making telephone calls to Canadians and informing them that their computers are potentially at risk. The caller then asks to remotely connect to the computer to scan for and remove any viruses.

These callers are not CRTC employees. Canadians should never grant remote access to their computers or give their passwords to someone who has called them claiming to represent a government organization.

These calls are likely phishing scams that could result in identity theft and fraud. For tips on cyber safety, please visit Get Cyber Safe http://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx.

Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission
Ottawa, Ontario

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is an independent public organization that regulates and supervises the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications systems. www.crtc.gc.ca

Kids Who Follow House Rules Have Less Negative Experiences Online

Norton Online Family Report Identifies Issues of "Cyberbaiting" and Overspending

TORONTO, November 17, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - The latest edition of the Norton Online Family Report sheds new light on the realities and risks of growing up in the digital age. This year's report identifies the new issue of "cyberbaiting," a growing phenomenon where kids taunt their teachers, then capture the distressed reactions via cell phone videos. In addition, the report reveals a surprisingly high number of kids taking liberties with their parents' credit cards for shopping online. However, it's not all bad news: the report shows that following clearly stated house rules for proper Internet behavior can make a significant impact in averting negative online experiences.

Overall, almost 62 per cent of kids across the world said that they have had a negative experience while online. Nearly four in 10 (39 per cent), however, have had a serious negative experience online, such as receiving inappropriate pictures from strangers, being bullied or becoming the victim of cybercrime. The report also shows that kids who are active on social networks open up more doors for content or situations that can be tricky for them to handle: 74 per cent of kids on social networks find themselves in unpleasant situations online, compared to 38 per cent who stay away from social networking.

Parents are setting ground rules, however, for online use, which helps kids have a more positive experience. The Norton Online Family Report shows that 77 per cent of parents have rules for how their kids may use the Internet. For those households where rules exist, while the "good kids" who follow the rules stay relatively safe with 52 per cent having had a negative experience online, the percentage increases to 82 per cent among rule-breakers.

"Kids are developing their online identity at an earlier age than ever before," said Vanessa Van Petten, youthologist and author of "Radical Parenting. "They need parents, teachers and other role models to help them figure out where to go, what to say, how to act and perhaps most importantly, how not to act. Negative situations online can have repercussions in the real world—from bullying to money lost in scams to giving strangers personal information."

Teachers at Risk of Cyberbaiting

One of the more shocking examples of using social networks for bad behavior is cyberbaiting, where students first irritate or bait a teacher until he or she cracks, filming the incident on their mobile device so they can post the footage online, embarrassing the teacher and the school. One in five teachers has personally experienced or knows another teacher who has experienced this phenomenon.

Perhaps because of cyberbaiting, 67 per cent of teachers say being friends with students on social networks exposes them to risks. Still, 34 per cent continue to "friend" their students. Only 51 per cent, however, say their school has a code of conduct for how teachers and students communicate with each other through social media. Eighty per cent of teachers call for more online safety education in schools, a position supported by 70 per cent of parents.

Raiding Mom's Digital Purse

Twenty-three per cent of parents who let their kids use their debit or credit card to shop online say their kids have overspent. Thirty per cent of parents, however, say that their child has used their debit or credit card to shop online without consent. And more than half of parents (53 per cent) who let their kids shop online using their online store account reported that their child has used it without permission.

But saving money isn't the only reason to set clear guidelines about online shopping and safe Internet behaviors. Eighty-seven percent of parents whose children have been the victim of cybercrime have also been a victim themselves—a steep increase from the global average of 69 per cent among online adults across the world. (Norton Cybercrime Report, 2011)

In Canada: The Breakdown

...69 per cent of Canadian adults surveyed have fallen victim to cybercrime and 37 per cent of children reported being victims as well

...68 per cent of children in Canada said that they have had a negative experience online

...88 per cent of teachers reported that being friends with students on social networks exposes them to online risks

...Only six per cent of Canadian teachers are friends with students on social networks, compared to 34 per cent globally

...Eight per cent of teachers have personally experienced or know another teacher who has been cyberbaited

...71 per cent of teachers call for more online safety education in schools, a position supported by 68 per cent of parents

...Only five per cent of parents in Canada say they have no idea what their children do online, but 17 per cent of children in Canada think their parents are clueless and have no idea about their online activities

...32 per cent of parents suspect their child changes the way they act online when parents are watching them - and 41 per cent of children said they sometimes stop what they are doing online if they know their parents are watching

"Teachers spend almost a third of the day with our children, and play an integral role in helping parents understand children's behaviours, so it was really important for us to gauge their thoughts on cyber safety, and their perceptions of children's online behaviours ," said Lynn Hargrove, director of Consumer Solutions for Symantec Canada. "This report helps paint a picture of what's really happening online, so that we can recognize and address the shortcomings to keep our children safe from potential online dangers. At Norton, we believe that education is a huge part of prevention. We'll continue to do our part and make resources available to educate children, teachers and parents so that they can stay informed about the latest cyber dangers."

For more tips on how to keep your kids and yourself safe online, please visit: ca.norton.com/familyresources. For more findings from the Norton Online Family Report globally and by country, please visit: www.norton.com/cybercrimereport.

Symantec's Norton products protect consumers from cybercrime with technologies like antivirus, anti-spyware and phishing protection -- while also being light on system resources. The company also provides services such as online backup, PC tuneup, and family online safety. Like Norton on Facebook at www.facebook.com/norton and follow @NortonOnline on Twitter.

About Symantec

Symantec's Canadian operations are headquartered in Toronto with offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver. For more information on Symantec products or current promotions, access Symantec's Canadian Web site at www.symantec.ca. Symantec is an active member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.

About the Norton Online Family Report methodology

Between February 6, 2011 and March 14, 2011 StrategyOne conducted 19,636 online survey among 12,704 adults (including 2956 parents of children aged 8-7), 4553 children aged 8-17, and 2379 teachers of students aged 8-17.

The survey was conducted in 24 countries (14 tracking countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States; 10 new countries: Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Africa, Singapore, Poland, Switzerland and UAE). The global data has been weighted to ensure all countries have equal representation. Adults to n500 (n100 parents), children to n200, teachers to n100.

SecureKey Technologies Inc. to power the Government of Canada's new online authentication service

Use of bank-issued credentials from TD Bank Group, Scotiabank and BMO Financial Group will enable secure, convenient access to online government services

TORONTO, November 7, 2011 /Canada NewsWire/ - Toronto based SecureKey Technologies Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Government of Canada to provide an innovative Credential Broker Service (CBS) that will allow Canadians to use their bank authentication credentials to obtain access to online government services. To ensure privacy protection, users of the CBS will authenticate through their bank but neither their login credentials nor the identity of their bank will be shared with the Government of Canada. Similarly, no information about the government service being accessed by the user will be shared with the user's bank.

The new service is part of the Government of Canada's Cyber Authentication Renewal initiative and leverages SecureKey's authentication solutions, which enable banks, credit card issuers, governments and healthcare providers to extend the security capabilities of chip-based payment and identity cards to their mobile and online offerings.

"We are thrilled to have been selected, through a competitive process, by the Government of Canada to provide this unique service", said SecureKey Technologies Inc, CEO Greg Wolfond, "This partnership between government and industry lays the foundation for an ecosystem that will offer increased choice and ease of use for consumers and businesses accessing secure online services."

Management of security credentials is a constant challenge for online government services which are used periodically, as website-specific user ID's and passwords are often forgotten. SecureKey's new authentication service will allow consumers to access government services using their online banking login credentials or, if offered by their bank, by tapping their bank-issued chip card on one of SecureKey's easy-to-use USB card readers or, in future, on a SecureKey-enabled laptop or mobile device.

To provide consumer choice and broad national coverage for the launch of the service, three of Canada's largest banks, BMO Financial Group, TD Bank Group and Scotiabank have been selected as the inaugural credential providers. These banks offer unparalleled authentication capabilities that will make customer access to online government services much easier.

"We are pleased to be able to offer our customers safe, secure and convenient online access to government programs and services," said Mike Henry, Scotiabank's Senior Vice-President and Head of Canadian Retail Payments, Deposits and Lending. "So many websites require login information, making it easy to forget a few every now and then. With this service, our customers won't have to worry about remembering another user ID and password because they will be able to easily access government services online using what they already use with us. This will give them the peace of mind that their personal information is securely protected."

"BMO sees this as a natural extension of services we offer to our customers. Our participation gives customers a secure, simple, and trusted verification process for accessing government sites and also levers the investments we have already made in chip and contactless technology to create a safe & sound environment for banking and payments," said Mike Kitchen, SVP, P&C Products, BMO Bank of Montreal.

"SecureKey's credential service will offer our customers a powerful combination of security and convenience when accessing their government accounts online," said Paal Kaperdal, SVP, Online Banking, TD Bank Group. "This is an innovative approach by both government and industry to improve an essential service for Canadians, and another way that TD can fulfill our promise of delivering a more comfortable banking experience to our customers."

The CBS will go live in 2012 and will be made available to all Government of Canada Departments and Agencies.

About SecureKey Technologies Inc.

SecureKey develops innovative hardware and software solutions that extend the power of chip-based identity and payment credentials to online and mobile transactions. With SecureKey, financial institutions, health care providers and government organizations can offer their online customers the convenience and security of ' tap to authenticate' and 'tap to pay' services. SecureKey is a privately held company with offices in Toronto, Ontario.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: BMO) is a highly diversified financial services organization. With total assets of CDN$477 billion as at July 31, 2011, and more than 47,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions.

About Scotiabank

Scotiabank is one of North America's premier financial institutions and Canada's most international bank. With more than 70,000 employees, Scotiabank Group and its affiliates serve some 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world. Scotiabank offers a broad range of products and services including personal, commercial, corporate and investment banking. With assets above $567 billion (as at July 31, 2011), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (BNS) and New York Exchanges (BNS). For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.

About TD Bank Group

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Group (TD). TD is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves more than 20 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in key financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust, TD Insurance and TD Auto Finance Canada; Wealth Management, including TD Waterhouse and an investment in TD Ameritrade; U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank and TD Auto Finance U.S.; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 7 million online customers. TD had CDN$665 billion in assets on July 31, 2011. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.