Situation at Desjardins Group
Organization Deposit institutions
Montréal, November 1, 2019 – The Autorité des marchés financiers (the “AMF”) was informed at the end of the day yesterday that Desjardins Group had just been advised by the Sûreté du Québec that the personal information leak affecting it is more significant than originally announced.
This is a very serious situation that the AMF has kept a careful watch on from the outset. The AMF is staying in close contact with Desjardins in order to obtain all the necessary information regarding this new development.
The AMF reminds the public that, on July 15, 2019, Desjardins implemented permanent, automatic and free protection against identity theft for all its members. The institution covers 100% of its members” assets and transactions. It is the AMF’s opinion that the measures already in place and the one announced today by the institution will protect and assist the affected members.
In light of the circumstances of the past several hours, the AMF also wishes to remind Desjardins members again that they should exercise caution as they may receive fraudulent e-mail messages (junk mail), text messages and phone calls. Scam artists may be tempted to contact them in order to steal personal information. Do not reply to such requests and do not click on any links that may be sent to you unsolicited. If in doubt, contact your financial institution.
For more information and advice on this matter, the AMF invites the public to consult its website at https://lautorite.qc.ca/en/general-public/fraud-prevention/theft-of-personal-information/.
As it is bound by a statutory obligation of confidentiality with respect to its prudential supervisory work and ongoing police investigations, the AMF will not be commenting further on this situation.
The Autorité des marchés financiers is the regulatory and oversight body for Québec’s financial sector.
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Information (media only):
Sylvain Théberge: 514-395-0337 #2347
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