A Little Holiday Precaution Can Help Maintain Holiday Joy

The following willl appear in my Identity Theft Protection newsletter later this week. You're getting a sneak peak!

The holidays seemed to arrive earlier than ever this year! As soon as the Halloween candy was moved to my store’s discount shelves, the Christmas decorations began making an appearance. I guess it really is that time of the year again.

If you’ve begun your holiday shopping, you’ll want to be extra careful regarding identity theft. Thieves are on the lookout to take advantage of the holiday rush and weary shoppers who have let their guard down. You might be the victim of purse snatching or a pickpocketed wallet, a shoulder surfing incident while you withdraw money from the ATM, or a sophisticated attack on your computer through phishing or other means in order to infiltrate your bank account(s). You should be checking your account balances electronically on a daily basis during the holidays to watch for any purchases that are not yours.

Before you head to the mall, make a copy of the front and back of your credit and debit cards and keep these in a secure place. Make sure that the company phone numbers are legible. In case of a theft, you will want to have easy access to this information in order to begin immediate cancellation of your cards. Don’t give out your bank account number over the phone or on the Internet unless you have generated the call. And NEVER respond to an email asking you for personal information such as your password. Your bank will never request that, yet I was receiving a number of “phishing” emails that looked exactly like my bank’s website and logos.

Here’s a simple trick you may already be utilizing. Instead of signing the back of your credit card write, "Ask for Photo ID."

Hopefully you’re lucky enough to be planning a wonderful holiday getaway. If so, notify the post office to put a hold on your mail. Unless you have a locked mailbox, you definitely don’t want pre-approved credit card offers sitting in your mailbox just waiting to be taken. Better yet, you may want to put a stop to those solicitations. You can call 888-5 OPT OUT (567-8688).

Let me take this occasion to wish everyone joyous, and safe, holidays!

To all my readers (Mom, Emily and Donald), please spread the message of love and peace in your every day conduct. I will try and do the same.

Sara Abrams
visit: Team National and shop!