How to avoid being a victim of identity theft: Consumer advocate

If you shop online, download appsor use the same password for multiple websites, you may want to check your online security you are at a higher risk of being a victim of identity theft and fraud.

"The Competition Bureau of Canada came out and revealed that over a two-year period, fraud amounted to almost $300 millionin losses for Canadians," Kelley Keehn, a consumer advocate and author of Protecting You and Your Money: A Guide to Avoiding Identity Theft and Fraud, told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

"However if you talk to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre they reveal that only about five per cent of Canadians report when they're a victim of fraud," she added.

She said as large as the numbers are on any type of fraud, there's no exact handle on fraud statistics because people who are defrauded are oftenembarrassed and don't know who to turn to.

• 6 tips to thwart identity theft and fraud

According toKeehn, a good way to keep from being a victim is to avoid using personal information in passwords such as your pet's name, date of birth, driver's licence numberor social insurance number.

She said it's also important not to use one go-to password.

Identity theft insurance

Keehn said for those whoconsider themselvesat high risk,there are identity theft insurance options available.

She noted that there are alsocredit reporting agencies that offer proactive credit alerts.

"This will cost you $5 per agency but it lasts six years, and what it does is it's an extra layer of protection, when the lender has to call you before granting a loan or a line of credit or something of that sort."