The holiday season is now underway and if you are buying online or in a local store, traveling or surfing the internet, your identity could be at risk.
Avoid Phishing
Clicking the wrong link or visiting a fake website can expose personally identifiable information to hackers. Be careful of opening emails from unknown sources or clicking links embedded in emails. When purchasing online, be sure to look for the little padlock in the address bar which shows is the website is secured to protect payments. Free WiFi in places like hotels, coffee shops and airports can be handy, but make sure to only shop or access your financial information on secure networks.
Beware of Card Skimming
When you pull up to a gas station you take out your credit card and don’t even think twice about it. However make sure there is only one slot and there isn’t a piece of machinery or other device around the slot where you insert your card. Thieves can attach a piece to places like the gas pump to steal your credit card information and create a duplicate card.
Take Care While Traveling
A lot of people travel during the holiday season, what you may not realize is that your boarding pass contains personal information. While it might be easy to drop this in the airport or hotel garbage can when it is no longer needed they should be shredded to help protect your information.
Credit Monitoring
In many cases your information is not used immediately, but something could happen six months to a year later so monitoring your credit is very important. Frequently, data thieves will make a small purchase to see if it can go through undetected before making a larger purchase. Be sure to review credit card statements to ensure there are no unauthorized purchases.
