“I don’t need to worry about identity theft because no one wants to be me.” ~ Josie Fleschute
Approximately 15 million United States residents have their identities used fraudulently each year with financial losses totalling upwards of $50 billion. On a case-by-case basis, that means approximately 7% of all adults have their identities misused with each instance resulting in approximately $3,500 in losses. ~ IdentityTheft.info
From credit card numbers and ATM PINs, to home addresses and more, every checkout can leave your personal information vulnerable. Consider these actions so you can shop smart and help keep your identity safe this holiday season:
Shopping In-Store
- Be aware of your surroundings and protect
personal space at the ATM and registers. - Be sure your anti-virus software is installed
properly and up-to-date. - Inspect ATMs and point of sale terminals
and look for tampering before swiping cards. - Shop with retailers you trust and who have
positive Better Business Bureau ratings.
- Keep cards in sight when paying to deter
dishonest cashiers.
Shopping Online
- Avoid links and only visit shopping sites by
directly typing in their website address. - Store all receipts and closely check your
monthly statements to verify transactions. - Don’t purchase items through a publicly shared wireless network.
I use and recommend Lifelock. They can help protect you against more than just credit fraud, we alert you whenever we detect your personal information being used to apply for wireless services, retail credit, utilities, and mortgage loans within our extensive network. If you become a victim of identity theft while you are a LifeLock member we will spend up to $1 million to hire experts, lawyers, investigators, consultants and whoever else it takes to help your recovery.
The Bis Key Chronicles 