Canadians with dealings in U.S. vulnerable in Equifax hack

TORONTO — Equifax Canada’s customer service agents are telling callers that only Canadians who have had dealings in the United States are likely to be affected by the massive hack announced last week.

The credit monitoring company’s call centre staff say that Canadians who have Equifax accounts in the U.S. could be at risk of having their data compromised, such as those who have lived, worked or applied for credit south of the border.

The Canadian Press made multiple calls as consumers to Equifax Canada’s customer service line and were told that consumers whose credit files were not checked outside of Canada are unlikely to be part of any breach.

Equifax Canada did not immediately re- spond to requests for comment.

Equifax Inc. said last Thursday a security breach occurred over the summer that compromised the private information of up to 143 million Americans, along with an undisclosed number of Canadians. But the company has been tight-lipped about further details, including how many Canadians may have been exposed.

Equifax Canada’s website says that “only a limited number of Canadians may have been affected” and “the breach is contained.”

“We are working night and day to assess what happened,” the credit monitoring company says on its Canadian website.

The Canadian breach may have impacted names, addresses and social insurance numbers, Equifax added.

Organizations that have been targeted by a hack will soon be required by law to provide detailed information to both affected consum- ers and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, if changes to the Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act go ahead as proposed.

As part of new mandatory data breach reporting requirements, organizations must notify individuals directly and provide specific information, such as the circumstances of the breach, the day or period when the breach occurred, and a description of the personal information that has been compromised.

Canada’s Department of Industry posted the proposed text of the new regulations on Canada Gazette on Sept. 2, for a 30-day public consultation.

Meanwhile, Canada’s privacy commissioner has said it has prioritized an examination into the hack.

Canadian and American credit files must be kept separate due to differences in law, according to the Equifax Canada website.