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Tis the Season to Avoid Identity Theft

December 23, 2004

• Consumers Playing Rebate Roulette This Holiday Season • Beware of Zero Percent Financing • Survey Finds Consumers Wary about Holiday Returns • NYC Fines Retailers for Return & Restocking Fee Violations • Retailers Urged to Curb Violent Video Games • Smart, Careful Shopping Will Help Keep the Season Bright • Video Game Industry Gets a D+ • Negative Option Scams May Snag Online Holiday Shoppers • Black Friday Gives Wal-Mart a Black Eye • Retailers' Return Policies Getting Tougher • Watch Out for Hidden Toy Hazards • Safety, Shopping, Charitable Giving Tips • Nordstrom, Wal-Mart, L.L. Bean Top Customer Service Rankings • Consumer Reports Holiday Guide • The Gift That Keeps On Taking • Tis the Season to Avoid Identity Theft • Beware of Payday Loans • Best of All: Giving Without Shopping

The holidays and their post-season sales and the throngs of shoppers that accompany them are tempting targets for identity theft perpetrators. Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist advises consumers to be extra cautious and to use credit cards wisely to avoid becoming victims of identity theft.

"Identity theft can happen anywhere and at any time but holiday shoppers are particularly vulnerable during these hectic shopping days," said Crist. "Fortunately, consumers can take specific steps to limit their chances of becoming victimized."

Back on December 15, Crist hosted Florida's first Identity Theft Summit in Miami. Representatives from the public and private sectors shared experiences and suggestions for consumers designed to protect their personal information. Based upon this information, Crist recommends the following:

When Making Purchases at Retail Stores

• Do not take out credit cards before you get to the register. This will allow you to control the number of people who see the information on your cards and will reduce the chance of misplacing them. Protect your credit numbers from the people around you who may try to steal them.

• Beware of others lurking with cell phones not in use. Clever thieves are using new technology to take photographs or videos of credit cards or personal information with newer model phones.

• Carry only the credit or debit cards your plan to use for holiday purchases. If your wallet or purse is stolen, fewer accounts will be affected.

• Avoid keeping your Social Security card in your wallet unless there is a specific reason for doing so. Do not give your Social Security number to anyone unless you understand why the number is requested.

When Making Purchases with the Internet and Cell Phones

• Make online purchase through secure websites from companies you trust. Always use a credit card for Internet purchases. Remember that the Federal Fair Credit Billing Act covers billing mistakes.

• If your bank or lending institution, or a business with which you have an established account, asks you to provide account information over the Internet, do not do so. This is not a legitimate request for information but is instead a scam called "phishing." These entities already have that information!

• Keep your billing information private and avoid sharing it via cell phone, especially in a location where a stranger could overhear and write down the information.

Handling the Documentation of Credit and Purchases

• Take all receipts with you so that no one else picks them up. If you throw away your receipts, tear them up first.

• Destroy unwanted credit card offers before throwing them away.

• Look at credit card statements carefully to check for charges you did not make. Contact the credit card company right away if you find any.

In the Event of an Emergency

• If you are a victim of identity theft, report to the police and then ask the national credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report. Tell banks and creditors involved that you question the charges or accounts. Keep records of telephone calls and follow up in writing with credit bureaus, banks and creditors.

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