Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Banking and Saving strategies, maximizing interest rates, budgeting, GICs, HISAs.
jeremy
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 421
Joined: 18 Nov 2010 13:53

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by jeremy »

Bylo Selhi wrote:
jeremy wrote:Alternatively, if you didn't use the online sign-up form, then perhaps your data wasn't compromised and you won't receive the letter.
Also it's possible that the applications for people who signed up online for a PT account a long time ago, before some date, had their applications purged/archived so their data was no longer in whatever database was compromised. In that case there would be no need to send those people the letter. (Recall from one of the links I posted upthread that current privacy laws require the banks to notify only those who are or may be affected by a breach. There's no requirement to notify unaffected clients or the public at large.)
Yes, that could explain why we haven't received the letter--the savings accounts were opened in 2008 when they were paying 4% interest! :lol: Although we've since used the online form to purchase GICs, which requires the re-entry of SINs, etc.
Jaunty
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 1539
Joined: 19 Feb 2007 16:41
Location: Niagara

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by Jaunty »

The letter we got was for my wife's TFSA account. I did not get one for my savings or TFSA accounts, but we had changed her account to an on-line account some time after we did mine. My account was done 03-01-2013 and her's 03-07-2013. I see I converted my e-savings account to joint mid-July, but that was done by phone call and e-mail, not the on-line request method.
jeremy
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 421
Joined: 18 Nov 2010 13:53

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by jeremy »

As an FYI, you can order free credit reports from Equifax and Transunion as often as you'd like by mailing in a form or using an automated phone system. These reports list your credit accounts (that have been reported) and show inquiries made to your credit file, but do not show your credit score. I typically order these every year or so to check for fraudulent activity or inaccurate information; they take about a week to arrive in the mail.

Equifax: https://help-en.equifax.ca/app/answers/ ... -residents
TransUnion: http://www.transunion.ca/ca/personal/cr ... re_en.page

(Transunion's phone system didn't work when I tried a few minutes ago; I'll try again during business hours tomorrow.)
User avatar
broke
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 307
Joined: 19 Mar 2007 20:41
Location: atlantic canada

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by broke »

Fyi. Recieved a email response from PT regarding my complaints to him via their "Contact Us" online form.
personal data has been omitted. Email came in yesterday and have yet to receive the letter.
We are in receipt of your below email. Please be advised that if you do not receive the letter then your information was not in the database that was compromised. The letter is going out to those whose information was in the database in question, a minority of our customers. If you do get the letter then please feel free to contact me so we can discuss.

Regards,

Darren Kozol
General Counsel & Corporate Secretary

1400-888 Dunsmuir Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 3K4

Tel: 604-331-2238 e238
Toll Free:
Fax:
http://www.peoplestrust.com
User avatar
snowback96
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 1200
Joined: 18 Mar 2007 18:15

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by snowback96 »

I opened my savings account earlier this year and did not get the letter (~January or so). So maybe it is just those that applied quite recently that were compromised. Did anyone with their account opened before 2013 get a letter?

Given that their website has changed significantly in the last couple months, perhaps their online application changed too. When I applied, I don't recall if the so called "online application" was really all that "online". I seem to remember filling in a couple web forms and then having to print & mail in something at the end. It didn't seem particularly sophisticated to me.
User avatar
Bylo Selhi
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 29493
Joined: 16 Feb 2005 10:36
Location: Waterloo, ON
Contact:

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by Bylo Selhi »

jeremy wrote:As an FYI, you can order free credit reports from Equifax and Transunion as often as you'd like by mailing in a form or using an automated phone system.
This information is also included in "the letter." Credit reports are free by mail. Don't get suckered into paying ~$25 for an "instant" report with credit scores and/or agree to subscribe to their credit monitoring service for $15/month. (See We help get refund for Equifax client: Roseman )
broke wrote:Fyi. Recieved a email response from PT
Just as I posited, "the letter" went only to those whose info was accessed.
snowback96 wrote:I opened my savings account earlier this year and did not get the letter (~January or so). So maybe it is just those that applied quite recently that were compromised. Did anyone with their account opened before 2013 get a letter?
Only online applicants were affected. FWIW I made an online application in May 2012 and I got "the letter." Maybe the intruder found an older copy of the database or an extracted report that had been saved for archival or historical purposes rather than a copy of the live database with current/recent applications.
Given that their website has changed significantly in the last couple months, perhaps their online application changed too. When I applied, I don't recall if the so called "online application" was really all that "online". I seem to remember filling in a couple web forms and then having to print & mail in something at the end. It didn't seem particularly sophisticated to me.
AFAIK all online banking applications work this way. Even if you fill out the application online you still have to complete the process by mailing something to the bank that includes e.g. your signature, void cheque to a linked account, copy of driver's license or other proof of residency, etc. (There may be exceptions if you're an existing customer of the bank or an affiliate where they already have this info on file.)
Sedulously eschew obfuscatory hyperverbosity and prolixity.
User avatar
AltaRed
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 33398
Joined: 05 Mar 2005 20:04
Location: Ogopogo Land

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by AltaRed »

I was a recent 'online application' to PT and got the letter.
Imagefiniki, the Canadian financial wiki The go-to place to bolster your financial freedom
good4u
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 248
Joined: 01 Oct 2012 17:10

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by good4u »

Quite frankly, I wouldn't trust the competence of PT given their history and this recent event to assume that if I didn't get the letter my information was not compromised. I suppose it offers some hope that perhaps one has "escaped" the breach but the staff over there are really not that competent and this would really cause me not to rely on whether I received a letter to indicate whether my information was "safe". If I didn't receive the letter, I would take some serious measures to protect myself just the same.

BTW, I did receive the letter and my most recent application with them was online for a TFSA back in Jan 2013. I have a long list of things to do to take precautionary steps to protect my ID at this point. :(
tmo72
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 15
Joined: 22 Feb 2005 17:16

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by tmo72 »

I'm taking my money out... and would do so even if I didn't receive a letter. I no longer trust them with my money.

I read on another forum that Equifax records weren't flagged; they only flagged TransUnion. Can anyone confirm?
User avatar
Pickles
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 4215
Joined: 27 Sep 2006 09:44
Location: Toronto

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by Pickles »

tmo72 wrote:I'm taking my money out... and would do so even if I didn't receive a letter. I no longer trust them with my money.

I read on another forum that Equifax records weren't flagged; they only flagged TransUnion. Can anyone confirm?
Now how could anyone here confirm that?
Regards,
Pickles
queerasmoi
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 3385
Joined: 27 May 2008 16:25

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by queerasmoi »

I did not receive the letter (so far?). I opened mine in March of this year as Ally was closing.
User avatar
poedin
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 2614
Joined: 27 Nov 2008 13:20

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by poedin »

queerasmoi wrote:I did not receive the letter (so far?). I opened mine in March of this year as Ally was closing.
Same here.
In the meanwhile should I assume that my personal info was not compromised?
User avatar
broke
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 307
Joined: 19 Mar 2007 20:41
Location: atlantic canada

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by broke »

Yep, just got the letter. :evil: added: signed up in january this year.

I had called both trans union and equifax to get a report on the weekend.
The buddys accent at trans-union was barely comprehensible and I couldn't confirm the flag due to language issue and gave up.
At equifax today, the girl was much better and she has confirmed that with them, the flags were not in place but are now(she added them), both mine and my wifes.

On asking about free hard copy reports, she said a free report can be obtained thru the phone every 30 days, however, the flag now prohibits phone requests and a written or faxed request can be made with copies of id etc. Yeah, more hassles.

I called back peoples trust and informed them as of a half hour ago equifax was not showing the flag and buddy said he'd check into it.

They told me the letters were going out in waves, so sit tight, you may not be left out afterall.
cheers
User avatar
poedin
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 2614
Joined: 27 Nov 2008 13:20

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by poedin »

broke wrote: I called back peoples trust and informed them as of a half hour ago equifax was not showing the flag and buddy said he'd check into it.

They told me the letters were going out in waves, so sit tight, you may not be left out afterall.
cheers
Thanks, I'll wait a few more days ...
User avatar
Koogie
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 3971
Joined: 09 Mar 2012 16:44

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by Koogie »

Another unhappy PT customer with a missive in the mail.

If you can't trust a West Coast fly by night credit union with your vitals, who can you "Peoples Trust" !! :roll:
tmo72
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 15
Joined: 22 Feb 2005 17:16

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by tmo72 »

broke wrote: At equifax today, the girl was much better and she has confirmed that with them, the flags were not in place but are now(she added them), both mine and my wifes.

On asking about free hard copy reports, she said a free report can be obtained thru the phone every 30 days, however, the flag now prohibits phone requests and a written or faxed request can be made with copies of id etc. Yeah, more hassles.
Thanks for that. Can confirm my equifax record also was not flagged by PT. Haven't talked to transunion yet, but I wasn't able to obtain a report with their automated phone thing. So perhaps that was flagged.
User avatar
poedin
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 2614
Joined: 27 Nov 2008 13:20

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by poedin »

If you can't trust a West Coast fly by night credit union with your vitals, who can you "Peoples Trust" !! :roll:
I thought PT wasn't a credit union (CUs not eligible for CDIC).
User avatar
broke
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 307
Joined: 19 Mar 2007 20:41
Location: atlantic canada

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by broke »

tmo72 wrote: Haven't talked to transunion yet, but I wasn't able to obtain a report with their automated phone thing. So perhaps that was flagged.
Took me about seven tries over the weekend to get into their automated phone system. After following a couple prompts from the disembodied voice, it made a few funny beeps and told me "the call did not go through, please try again" and would disconnect.
good4u
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 248
Joined: 01 Oct 2012 17:10

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by good4u »

tmo72 wrote:I'm taking my money out... and would do so even if I didn't receive a letter. I no longer trust them with my money.

I read on another forum that Equifax records weren't flagged; they only flagged TransUnion. Can anyone confirm?
(This may be a duplicate post. Couldn't find my original one so assumed it got deleted.) I called both TransUnion and Equifax on Monday morning. The fellow at TransUnion said that PT had put a flag on my file but that no phone number was entered so if someone was accessing my credit file I would not actually be notified. However, for $5 plus tax they provide a service where you can enter your phone number (much like what PT paid for) and then be notified over the next 6 years of anyone trying to open a new account using your credit file. However, when I called Equifax a few minutes later I learned that PT did not put a flag on there so I put one on myself (at no charge).

I don't think we can totally rely on the information being provided by PT anymore as the letter they sent out led me to believe that flags were put on both Equifax and TransUnion when in fact this was not the case. :cry:
ig17
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 3418
Joined: 21 Feb 2005 20:54

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by ig17 »

broke wrote:At equifax today, the girl was much better and she has confirmed that with them, the flags were not in place but are now(she added them), both mine and my wifes.
Did you have to pay for adding the flags?
User avatar
broke
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 307
Joined: 19 Mar 2007 20:41
Location: atlantic canada

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by broke »

ig17 wrote:
broke wrote:At equifax today, the girl was much better and she has confirmed that with them, the flags were not in place but are now(she added them), both mine and my wifes.
Did you have to pay for adding the flags?
No charge. Unless they send me a bill later that i won't pay.
I didn't ask her to do it either, I said I was calling regarding the letters we got from PT and wanted to confirm peoples trust flag being in place. She said there was not and offered to put it there.
However, later she also offered some fancy monitoring service for 14.99 a month (i think, i just tuned that bit out) which I declined.
She then asked if my wife was there to speak to her and did hers up on the same call. Pretty descent service.

Tried again at transunion, on hold for 15+ minutes and got a good enough voice I could understand and the flag was already in place and he too tried to up-sell me something.
User avatar
Koogie
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 3971
Joined: 09 Mar 2012 16:44

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by Koogie »

Just called Equifax, no flag on file, flag added. Upselling attempted and denied.

TransUnion, no flag on file. They wanted $5.00 to place a flag on the file ! I complained and said shouldn't this be a free service ? No, no and no. Could have been the CSR, as she was unimpressive.

Going to complain bitterly via email to PT now.
User avatar
AltaRed
Veteran Contributor
Veteran Contributor
Posts: 33398
Joined: 05 Mar 2005 20:04
Location: Ogopogo Land

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by AltaRed »

Both agencies had flags on my file. From posts above, it is either hit or miss..... or it is taking bureau staff a lot of time to apply the flags.
Imagefiniki, the Canadian financial wiki The go-to place to bolster your financial freedom
tmo72
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 15
Joined: 22 Feb 2005 17:16

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by tmo72 »

I was flagged at transunion. No phone # linked to the flag. Transunion is kind of an annoying company to deal with. Three separate departments to a) verify the flagging of my file, b) tell me the latest transactions and c) send me a free report. Have to hold, verify my ID and listen to their sales pitch each time.

"
good4u
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 248
Joined: 01 Oct 2012 17:10

Re: Peoples Trust Privacy Breach

Post by good4u »

I called Equifax on Monday to verify whether a flag was put on my account and there wasn't one so they put one on and didn't mention anything about charges. However, yesterday I called Equifax to put one on my spouse's (because there wasn't one on there already) and learned that there is a separate setting for flagging the SIN which was offered on this call but not on the Monday call. I then asked the rep to check mine and apparently the CSR that was helping me on Monday did not flag my SIN. I guess it is YMMV depending on who answers your call and what they know but this didn't cost anything and I feel like I could use all the protection I can get.
Post Reply