As Regina police recovered a missing computer hard drive containing confidential financial information for more than 1 million Canadians, the B.C. Securities Commission warned investors to carefully review and safeguard records of their personal financial information to protect against becoming victims of identity theft.

“You should carefully review your monthly brokerage, mutual fund, and other statements as well as trade confirmation slips as soon as you receive them, and file them away safely,” said BCSC Executive Director Steve Wilson.

“If at any time you don’t get your statement or if you find any transaction that you did not authorize or remember making, contact your broker or advisor,” said Wilson.

“Your brokerage statements are no different than your credit card and bank statements,” Wilson said. “They all contain valuable info about your finances so you need to keep them safe or dispose of them in a way that prevents others from gaining access to your personal financial information.”

Wilson also warned consumers not to rely ” solely on a third-party’s electronic record-keeping system of your financial records.”