Equifax Canada data on 1,400 breached

VANCOUVER, March 16 (UPI) -- Equifax Canada Inc. says information from its personal credit files of about 1,400 people, mostly Western Canadaians has been breached.

Equifax, one of Canada's two major national consumer-credit reporting agencies, provides, bank-account numbers, credit limits, home addresses, birth dates, employment background, and other personal information, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported Tuesday.

"With that kind of information, a criminal could steal someone's identity, set up false accounts, obtain loans and credit cards as well as get passports and other documents, said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant John Ward.

Joel Heft, vice-president of Equifax Canada, told the Globe and Mail it would take a sophisticated operation to breach Equifax's security measures. The company had believed it had a foolproof method of protecting data, Heft said.