Protecting Your Personal Information When Looking for a Job

It’s very important to protect your personal information during your job search.

Whenever you apply for a job, write a résumé or cover letter, fill out an online application or attend an interview, make sure you do not disclose any personal information such as:

• Your social insurance number
• Your age, marital status or date of birth
• Your driver's licence number
• Your health insurance card number
• Your financial information, including your credit card or bank account numbers and personal identification number (PIN)

If an employer asks you to fill out an online application form on its website, be sure not to provide any of the personal information described above. If you have any doubts about the nature of the information requested or how it will be used, do not provide it. You should share your important personal information only with an employer with whom you have completed the hiring process.

Don’t hesitate to report any suspicious job offers to the Centre d'assistance au placement, at 1-888-367-5647.

If you have provided personal information to another person and believe that you are a victim of identity theft, follow the recommended steps below:

1. Report the incident to the Sûreté du Québec .
2. Notify your financial institution and credit card company, and complete the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre’s Identify Theft Statement  form.
3. Contact the 2 national credit bureaus and ask them to place a fraud alert in your credit file.
   • Equifax Canada 
     1 877 323-2598 (toll free)
   • TransUnion Canada 
     1 877 713-3393 (toll free)
4. Contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to report the possible identity theft and any fraud committed.
   1 888 495-8501 (toll free)

For more information, visit the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec  website (French only).