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