How to Protect Yourself from ID Theft This Holiday Season and Beyond

Revised – November 23, 2022

Although it is the most wonderful time of the year, you still need to take steps to guard your identity so that you do not suffer from a not-so-merry Christmas or a less-than-happy Chanukah.

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:

• Always take time to 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.
• Try to make purchases via credit instead of debit card. 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 stands for Radio Frequency Blocking capability. RFID technology allows credit card information to be read without swiping them through a machine. That is nasty! But when you have an RFID blocking wallet, you stop thieves from snagging your credit card info through your pants or your purse.
• When using an ATM, be mindful of who is in line and if they are trying to steal your PIN information or card number. Also, try to stick with bank-affiliated ATMs which provide an added layer of security.
• 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.

Shopping Online

It is so much easier and a lot more people will buy online this year than ever before. But you still need to remain vigilant. 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.

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” promos, 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 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.

If you are shopping online while out and about, avoid shopping at wireless hotspots where your public wi-fi networks may not be secure.

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.

After you make purchases, close your apps. 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 before you have any clue that you have been victimized.

Delete your browsing and cookie history if you are concerned about thefts. It is a bit of pain to have to re-enter your credit card number information for new purchases after you do this, but it is another way to maximize your identity theft protection.

Hard Target Home Protection

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 am on trash day if you roll your barrels out the night before. Pulverize your credit card statements, bank notices, bills, and other personal information. Do not just rip up these things into two or three large chunks and call it a day, either. Make the pieces as small as possible and even consider dumping sensitive information on different trash days.
• 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.
• 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.
• After the fact, always check your credit card statements and immediately act for any purchases you do not recognize. Merchant processing companies have a lot of protections in place, but you have to do your part as well.

Protecting 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 players on Fortnight or Call of Duty, 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.

It is up to you to teach your children some identity theft guidelines because they may be pint-sized family members, but 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

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 info. Do not give out a date of birth, home address, or a Social Security number.

Teach them about how they can be catfished into giving out personal information as well.

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, still 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.