Revised – November 1, 2023
‘Tis the season to be jolly, but it’s also when identity thieves are looking to make your holidays anything but happy with online scams.
Increased spending by consumers over the holiday shopping season translates into increased targets of opportunity for hackers, holiday scams, fraudsters, thieves, and crooks looking to pillage your personal information for their financial gain.
Some scams are new. Some are old. Some target the old. And some target the young. Whatever your age or situation, there are steps you should take to protect your identity from a legion of Grinches out there, not just for this holiday season, but beyond.
The Federal Trade Commission receives millions of complaints annually so if you think it will only happen to somebody else, think again.
Here are several things you can do to make you and your family a hard target against identity theft year-round.
While You are Out and About
Although many of us prefer to shop online in our pajamas from the comfort of our own homes this time of year, there are still a lot of people who love the hustle and bustle of heading out to the malls, retailers and shopping destinations for a good old-fashioned game of bumper car consumerism.
Crowded public areas are rich targets for thieves to snag your wallet and contents. When you are out and about, take these precautions:
- Secure your wallet. Pickpockets LOVE crowds. So, button your back pockets on your jeans. Keep your purse secure and in front of you. And limit the amount of personal information you carry in case you do become a victim.
- Use a credit card instead of a debit card for purchases. Long story short, if you are a victim of fraud, getting a refund is a lot easier with credit than with a debit transaction.
- Carry a wallet with RFID. RFID technology allows credit card information to be read without running it through a machine. When you have an RFID blocking wallet, you stop thieves from snagging your credit card info through your pants or purse.
- Be alert at ATMs. Be mindful of who is in line and if they are trying to steal your PIN information or credit card company number. Also, try to stick with bank-affiliated ATMs which provide an added layer of security.
- Don’t lose track of your card. When making a purchase, be sure your card is swiped only once and that you get it back as part of the transaction. Keep all of your receipts in a safe place after you buy something as well.
How to Shop Online Safely
Like just about every holiday season for the last 20+ years, this year’s will likely have more people shopping online than ever before. Merchants have made great strides in protecting online shopping transactions, but you are still vulnerable to credit card fraud if you do not do your part.
Don’t fall prey to illegitimate websites.
First and foremost, make sure the site you are shopping on is secure and legitimate. There are several variations on phishing scams that will try to pry your personal information away from you. These can include unsolicited emails, urgent “fear of missing out” promotions or requests to update and verify your personal information, among many others. You may be threatened with account suspension if you do not give your personal information. If it feels phony, do not engage.
Look for a URL that starts with “https instead of just http, so you know your network is secure. Also, look for a “Lock” icon displayed in the address bar before or after the URL. You can see more detailed info by clicking it.
Shop smartly, especially with your cell phone.
Shop with companies you know and trust. If you are a repeat customer, you are probably getting contacted with holiday deals. When you have had a track record of good purchases throughout the year, you can feel pretty safe in knowing you are going to have a good transaction with a known merchant.
Update all of your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. Scammers are always trying to build new workarounds, and theft protection companies are constantly monitoring and changing the game to create hard targets for customers every way possible.
Smartphones are really smart, but they can pose a risk when you are shopping online. Here are a few tips:
- Avoid shopping at wireless hotspots. These public Wi-Fi networks may not be secure. Criminals will use these public networks to access devices that are unsecured.
- Close shopping apps after your purchase. Even though you may not see them on your screen, they could still be running in the background. If they are, hackers could have access to them and swipe your personal information with you never knowing you have been victimized.
- Delete your browsing and cookie history. We know, it’s a pain to have to re-enter your credit card number for each purchase, but it is another way to maximize your identity theft protection.
- Secure all your mobile devices. Use Face ID and other biometric options instead of passwords. Be very careful about what information you store on your phone.
Step Up Protection at Home
You should be doing all the following year-round, but especially during the high crime holiday season:
- Take mail out of your mailbox every day. This is crucial if your box does not have a lock. Even if you do, a thief can still pick a lock and be gone with your mail in a matter of moments. If you are out of town for any period, have a neighbor pick up your mail or place a hold at the post office until you return.
- Shred all your sensitive documents. Digging through your trash is a favorite among identity thieves, and it is easy to do so at 3 a.m. on trash day if you roll your barrels out the night before. Pulverize the statements from your credit card accounts, bank notices, bills and other personal information. Make the pieces as small as possible and even consider dumping sensitive information on different trash days. Consumer-type shredders are inexpensive, or you can use a company like SDD of St. Louis.
- Drop your mail at the post office. Mail all your bill payments or any letters or parcels with sensitive information directly at the post office or by dropping them in a secure mailbox.
- Don’t give porch pirates a reason to choose your home. Porch pirates are among the worst kind of thieves, waiting until a delivery has been made to your address. But did you ever stop to think that they may be tracking your online activity to know exactly when to hit your house? Prevent this by having packages delivered to your office, an Amazon Locker or a pickup location provided by the carrier.
- Check your credit card statements daily during the holidays. Be on the lookout for charges you don’t recognize. Card processing companies have a lot of protections in place, but you have to do your part as well.
- Make sure all your devices have the latest software. Hackers always seem to be one step ahead of phone and computer security software, so update as soon as you are notified.
- Ditch paper bills. All financial institutions will allow you to go paperless. While your email inbox isn’t 100% secure from thieves, it is more secure than your mailbox at the street.
- Get to know your credit report. If you believe there has been a data breach of your personal information such as account numbers or your Social Security number, immediately call (or go online) the three major credit bureaus—TransUnion, Equifax and Experian—and put a freeze on your credit file. This will block unauthorized access to accounts in your name.
Protect Yourself by Protecting Your Kids
Kids and teens are among the most tech-savvy people on the planet, at least when it comes to social media and online gaming. They may be world-class gamers, but they could also be a huge vulnerability when it comes to identity theft.
According to a study from Javelin Strategy & Research, more than one million children were identity theft victims in the past year. Two-thirds were under eight years old, leading to estimated losses of more than $2.6 billion. And not all of that came out of their pockets. Most of it actually came out of moms’ and dads’ wallets and purses.
Prepare your children to be safe consumers.
While your young kids may be pint-sized family members, they can produce full-sized headaches if they are compromised.
Children may or may not already have credit histories, and credit monitoring is a good place to start. If they do, they can be a target. These accounts are not generally monitored or have protections like fraud alerts or identity theft protections for financial information that are in place. Thieves can gradually open up accounts, giving the appearance of legitimacy. That can lead to much bigger losses. In fact, it is estimated that losses from a child’s identity theft are double those stolen from adults.
You can contact the three of the major credit reporting bureaus to ask for a “manual search” of files relating both to your child’s name and Social Security number. Use these phone numbers:
• Equifax: 800-525-6285
• Experian: 888-397-3742
• TransUnion: childidtheft@transunion.com
Be vigilant on what kids sign up for online.
Children of all ages are notorious for having tons of online “friends” as part of their gaming activities. That means you have got to be hypervigilant when they sign up. Make sure they do not give any identifying information that could later be used to hack their personal information. Do not give out a date of birth, home address or a Social Security number.
When it comes to social media, make it clear that the password will always be available to you as parents, and that you will check in regularly on their activities. Ideally, gaming should be done in a common area of the home if possible.
If your children are a bit older and have their own bank accounts, encourage them (or help them) monitor those accounts through notifications for suspicious activities. You walk a fine line between invading privacy and protecting your child, so be sure you and your child understand what your purposes are when you monitor.
Your child can also be vulnerable at other touchpoints in their lives. Sometimes schools will release personally identifiable information to third parties. Consider implementing an opt-out policy if available.
Also, when filling out medical or school forms, skip the part that asks for the child’s Social Security number. You do not have to give it. If asked, politely say that you are concerned about ID theft and therefore decline to use the number. If pressed, then fill in the field with all zeros.