Identity Theft During the Holidays

After the pumpkin pie is eaten and the Thanksgiving leftovers are put away, it’s time for the peppermint mocha to start flowing and the credit cards to come out. It’s the holiday shopping season with bargains galore just waiting for you to enter your card information. Identity thieves also enjoy this time of year as many people make merry, letting down their guard with their finances. Online shopping spikes during this time and credit cards are being swiped more frequently. Thieves know that now is an opportune time to steal your identity. They bank on you slipping up! Taking consistent steps to protect your information can keep you from becoming a victim this holiday season. 

6 Suggestions to Protect Your Identity and Be a Safe Holiday Shopper

You can find great deals on holiday shopping while preventing your personal information from being compromised. Follow these six suggestions from our online security experts:

1. Make ‘caution’ your word of the season while online shopping. One of the riskiest scams you can fall for is online shopping scams. Practice extra caution if you use marketplace shopping sites such as those on social media platforms or other digital marketplaces. You don’t have the same protections as you will with a reputable retailer. Only use traceable payment methods like peer-to-peer payment apps with purchase protections like you find through PayPal or Venmo. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be aware that scammers will create websites to reel you in with a great bargain, but you never receive the merchandise.
2. Be aware of ‘shoulder’ surfers. These criminals quietly watch you while shopping or using ATMs, computers, and kiosks. They hope you will inadvertently give away personal information, which they will use to steal from you. Protect yourself by being aware of who is around you while using an ATM. Additionally, cover the keypad when you use your PIN at checkout registers.
3. Monitor your accounts closely. It’s easy to get caught up in the holiday shopping excitement and lose track of how much you are spending. It is a good idea to check your accounts daily and compare your receipts with what you see. You can also set up automated notifications for your credit card accounts so you know when a purchase is made.
4. Limit the number of credit cards you use. Juggling multiple credit cards is challenging. Limiting the number of cards you use makes tracking your spending much more manageable. You can also keep a close eye on any ‘strange’ transactions.
5. Avoid shopping on public Wi-Fi. Public networks are typically not secure. Hackers can use unsecured Wi-Fi access and take sensitive information you transmit. It is better to avoid any online shopping or logging into your bank account while using a public Wi-Fi network.

Take Your Identity Theft Protection to a New Level with Help from Professionals 

Enjoy all the holiday baking, shopping, and gathering you want when you take the necessary precautions to protect your identity. Crown Information Management can help you take things to a new level with our additional services, including shredding, storage, media and product destruction, and document scanning. We understand the need to destroy and store documents securely.  Call us today, and let’s get to work!

For experienced help with shredding, media destruction, records management, and document storage, call Crown Information Management. You can reach us at 800-979-9545 or contact us online to learn more about our services. We are a SOC1,NAID AAA, and PCI Certified company.