Preventing Identity Theft During the Holiday Season

Identity theft has become a problem for people all year around, but is especially rampant during the holiday season. While you're out busily on the lookout for the perfect gifts for friends and loved ones, identity thieves are also on the lookout to take advantage of you during this busiest of shopping seasons. In 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported receiving nearly half a million identity theft complaints – nearly double the number received the year before. And each year, there's a definite spike in complaints during the holiday season, so we'd like to pass on some advice that can help protect you from falling prey to this particular crime. These apply not only during the holidays but all year around.

Online shopping has become so popular these days that identity thieves have also made the Internet a favorite means for their illegal activities. While a stolen wallet or lost credit card are still the most common causes of identity theft, phishing and other online scams are becoming more prevalent every year. Here are some simple guidelines to follow to help protect yourself when shopping online:

• Use only trusted, verifiable sites. Look for HTTPS and the little lock icon in your URL browser, which identifies a safe site. Don't enter sensitive information into any site you don't trust as being safe.
• Don't respond to any sites asking for personal information. Even if they look genuine they may be fake phishing sites looking to grab your personal information. Don't click on any suspect email links.
• Make sure you have an active anti-virus program and always download updates to the program.
• Never enter any sensitive personal information on a computer using a public Wi-Fi system. These are easy for hackers to access and they hang out at public Wi-Fi areas for this express purpose.

You should monitor your bank and credit card accounts regularly for any suspicious activity. Log in regularly to keep a strict accounting of your transactions. Also check your credit report on a regular basis. If an identity thief opens an account under your name this affects your credit score and will serve as a red flag.

Safeguard your personal information and keep a record of your account numbers and pertinent information in case you need to contact the company holding one of your accounts. Guard all of your devices and use strong passwords for all your accounts.