With the influx of shopping that comes with the holiday season, there can be an influx in identity theft too. This is especially true in recent years, as shoppers have eschewed the crowds and decided to shop online instead. There are two ways that identity thieves can nab Internet shoppers if they’re not vigilant and careful with their information.
Spoofed versions of legitimate sites
Can’t remember the address for that site you shop at where you can purchase CDs for half of retail price? Well, how lucky are you that you just got an email from them! Now you can just click on the link in the email and start shopping. Not so fast. Are you sure that the link is legitimate? Is it asking for your username, password or other personal information? This is one of the trademarks identity thieves use when launching email phishing attacks. If you can’t remember the name of a site, it’s far better to plug it into a search engine than to rely on a link that is sent to you.
Fake shopping sites
Sad but true; there are actually shopping sites out there that are completely fabricated by identity thieves. Most advertise extraordinarily good prices on products such as electronics and pricey clothing and cosmetics items. You put the items in your cart, check out, enter your payment information and congratulate yourself on finding such a great bargain. Problem is, your merchandise never arrives, and probably never existed in the first place. Meanwhile, the thief has made off with not only your credit card number but also your name and address.
So how do you avoid this one? Only shop at sites that you know to be legitimate. But don’t get into the frame of mind that all sites that offer deep discounts are fake. There are plenty of good ones out there, such as half.com. If a site looks iffy, another way to tell is by looking for contact information. If the only way to contact the organization is through an online form or the phone number listed won’t connect you to a live person, it may be wise to stay away. Many smaller online retailers have “stores†through eBay, Yahoo or Amazon.com so you can still shop safely with protection from those sites’ guarantees.
More ways to protect yourself
Another thing you can do to protect your personal information when shopping online is contact your credit card company and ask about “temporary card numbers†to use for Internet shopping. That way even if the site is illegitimate, the identity thieves can’t use your information to rack up additional charges.
Additionally, you can consider an identity theft insurance policy. Though a policy won’t stop you from falling victim to scams directly, if it is bundled with a credit monitoring service it will help you find out that you’ve been victimized before thieves have had a chance to do much damage to your credit.
Due to this year’s tough economic climate, it could be worse than ever for consumers, with new thieves coming out of the woodwork and existing ones becoming more active. Don’t forget the gifts altogether. Just remember to shop with care. If you want to stop these crooks before they have a chance to ruin your credit then consider an identity theft protection service for your protection.
Happy Thanksgiving to all and happy shopping.