The holiday shopping season is definitely in full swing; as we prepare for the season of giving, most of us are distracted and few are thinking about protecting their identity. But an abundance of sensitive information is generated in November and December, including store receipts, credit card bills and travel documents, making it easy to produce a trail (both online and in paper form) that can leave you and your loved ones vulnerable to identity theft.

HOLIDAY ID THEFT PREVENTION TIPS

In working with Fellowes as a Fellowes Mom, they’ve made it a point to educate us about the issue of identity theft. Fellowes holds a strong commitment to identity theft education and annually partners with the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) to educate consumers about identity theft during the holiday season. The ITRC is a non-profit, nationally-respected organization dedicated exclusively to the understanding of identity theft and related issues, providing victim and consumer support.

The ITRC receives an increased amount of reports to their call center in the first three months of the year, which is likely a result of consumers discovering identity theft crimes that took place during the holidays. I’d never thought about identity theft on the rise during the holiday season, but it only makes sense that it’d be a particularly vulnerable time with all the holiday hustle and bustle. The following tips from the ITRC will help keep you and your readers safe during the holidays:

• Protect your papers. Shred no-longer-needed store receipts, credit card and bank statements, monthly bills, any documents with your Social Security number, and travel documents with a Cross-Cut paper shredder. This is something I’ve really started paying attention to; I’ve even gone so far as to shred envelopes that contain addresses or other info.

• Stay safe online. Only give credit card numbers to trusted and secure websites, and do not respond to e-mails claiming to come from your bank or card issuer that request your personal or financial account information. The FBI has issued a Holiday Shopping Alert encouraging consumers to beware of scam e-mails advertising “one day only” promotions for hot items of the season that lure bargain hunters into providing credit card information. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. We hardly ever click and shop through an email….I’ll generally type that vendor’s URL into my address bar and go directly to that website rather than clicking over from any email. It can be difficult to tell a real email from a phisher email.

• Send mail securely. Mail holiday cards and bill payments containing checks from a secure post office box. Also, keep an eye out for your holiday packages. Thieves follow delivery trucks and grab the packages before the real recipients can retrieve them. This can lead to identity theft if there is a statement inside with a name and account number. Require signature upon delivery. As bloggers, this is oh so important, especially if we’re receiving products for review.

• Protect passwords and PINs. Change and strengthen all your passwords and PINs before, during, or just after the holiday shopping season to throw off any thieves who might have gained access to them. Use a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols.

• Keep it simple. Clean out your wallet before you go shopping or out to parties and holiday festivities and shred any no-longer-needed paper documents. Don’t bring unnecessary identification, receipts, ATM cards and credit cards with you. Consider using just one credit card for all of your holiday buys, so if your wallet is stolen, you just have one card to worry about. Use a credit card instead of a debit card because there is more protection available to you if it is lost or stolen.

• Show smartphone savvy. Losing a smartphone is a big security risk if you use your phone for banking or storing your contacts and passwords. Protect your smartphone with a complex password. Use software that allows you to remotely back up and delete the contents of your phone if it is lost or stolen.

• Beware of skimming. Skimming happens when a store clerk or restaurant server takes your credit card and runs it through a small device called a “skimmer” that copies the information from the magnetic strip. Once the thief has the information, they can use it to make purchases. Thieves also place skimmers on ATMs to pull data when you make a withdrawal, while at the same time hiding a small camera near the ATM to record your PIN number. Avoid stand-alone ATM machines located in malls and convenience stores, or a bank’s ATM machine after-hours. Gas pumps are also susceptible to skimming scams.

• Remain vigilant. Be diligent about checking your bank and credit card accounts regularly for any activity you did not initiate. Check the account balance on the receipt when you use your ATM card. Take time to carefully review financial account statements and credit reports in those crucial months of December – March.

The important thing is just to be cautious…. I don’t believe in living your life in fear; but just be aware and use common sense to protect your and your family’s identity.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

(Disclosure: I received the above article from Fellowes, as a Fellowes Mom. I received no compensation for this post but also added in my own personal anecdotes and tidbits of information.)