The Identity Theft Resource Center has put out a Holiday Alert: "IDENTITY THIEVES DON'T TAKE A HOLIDAY" The ITRC reports that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is the biggest shopping season of the year.
Shopping environments are crowded and conditions are ripe for thieves to steal our identities.
They remind us to take extra precautions against identity theft.
Since there are more people around, it encourages pickpockets, theft from inside cars, from mailboxes, trashcans, etc.
We get mail that we do not pay attention to i.
e.
new credit card offers, discounted products from stores, and requests for donations from charities, and that thieves want.
No one is immune-from birth to beyond death.
About 10 million people lose their identities each year.
Follow these 10 Steps to Safeguard Your Identity: 1.
Guard Your Social Security Number as if it were cash.
If it is lost, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 to get a new one.
However, reporting a lost card will not prevent misuse.
2.
Check your bank and credit card accounts.
If you notice something suspicious, contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately.
3.
Leave your checkbook at home as it has information identity thieves want, e.
g.
name, address, telephone number, and routing and account numbers on it.
4.
Never give personal or financial information over the telephone.
5.
Carry your money and credit cards securely.
Women should not leave their purses open or unattended, and men should not carry their wallets in their back pockets.
6.
Be aware of your surroundings.
Go to a brightly lit ATM, shield your transactions with your body, and if you see an odd looking gadget attached to the ATM use another machine.
7.
Protect your credit card receipts.
Don't let store clerks staple them to bags, rip up carbon copies, and don't put them in trash cans for identity thieves to get.
8.
Protect yourself against credit card skimming when a store clerk or waitress slides your credit card through a second machine and downloads it onto a counterfeit card.
9.
Be extra careful when it comes to mail.
Lock your mailbox.
If monthly bills haven't arrived on time, contact the issuer and the post office.
Mail bills at the post office at the end of the day.
When you go away, hold your mail at the post office, and shred any credit card offers that aren't wanted.
10.
If your identity has been stolen, you will need a service that monitors your personal information from national databases daily to check if an identity thief is using it, contacts the necessary agencies, and fills out all the paperwork to help you restore your identity to pre theft status.
Following these simple tips can help you avoid being a victim of Identity theft and allow you to enjoy this Holiday season.