TORONTO, Ont. – Canadian privacy officials have warned people to be more careful when it comes to willingly giving out their personal information.

As more and more stores and online retailers begin to request personal information from their customers, it is becoming increasingly important that consumers protect themselves from potential fraud or identity theft.

Jennifer Stoddart, a Canadian privacy commissioner, says people are not required to give their phone number or area code to retailers when making a purchase or return – and it’s probably not a good idea.

“The more personal information that’s collected about you, the more risk you run of identity theft or being the victim of fraud, so be very careful about the personal information you give out,” Stoddart said.

Perhaps most dangerous is giving out your drivers licence number, which also identifies your birthday, making it easier for thieves to steal your identity.

Stoddart warns the only organizations that are justified in recording your driver’s licence are banks and other trusted financial institutions.

“Myself and other privacy commissioners across Canada, have said that we’re really concerned about the wholesale swiping of driver’s licences, they’re really not a universal identity card,” Stoddart said.

For positive identification when making a return or credit card purchase, a clerk may request to see photo I.D., but Stoddart says they should not be recording the information.