“Tis' the Season for Thieving”
Christmas may be a time of giving, but that doesn't mean you need to give your identity to fraudsters. The Walton County Sheriff's Office wants to remind folks not to let down your guard. The festive season means that people's guards are down, and presents opportunities for thieves.
“Online identity fraud” soars with the frenzy of online shopping going into. One survey indicates 90 percent of credit card users don't even double check the Web site, and its security, before typing their credit card number. There are 10 million cases of identity theft each year nationwide. Authorities say prevention can go a long way in not becoming a victim:
•Install anti-virus software that will protect you against the program that can scan your personal information and send it to thieves.
•Don't let anybody see your PIN when you're using a cash machine. It's called “shoulder surfing” when the criminal will try and copy down a person's Pin. Check the machine itself, thieves can position devices that copy your card.
•Don't lose sight of your credit card when you're paying. When at a restaurant, don't let the waiter take your card away, even for a short period; ask for the card processor to be brought to your table, or pay on the way out so your account details cannot be copied.
•Go through your bank and card statements carefully; you may not know that your identity has been compromised until you see transactions you don't recognize on your statements.
•Be careful not to post too much personal information on social networking sites like “Facebook” and “MySpace”. E-mail addresses, names and birthdates provides cyber criminals information to take one's identity.
•Shred sensitive credit card information before throwing it in the garbage.
The Christmas Shopping Season also brings with it an increase in check fraud. It involves manipulating checks, or knowingly writing bad checks. Authorities say check fraud is not only detrimental to businesses, but individual consumers as well. Businesses are asked to get as much personal information as possible before accepting the check.
Phishing scams involve thieves posing as legitimate businesses such as financial institutions, credit card companies, and retailers. The thief will try and get access to your personal information like social security and credit card numbers. This again can be used to steal a person's identity. A ban will not arbitrarily call someone and ask for that kind of information.
This past weekend, a woman in South Walton County reported that she received a telephone call from somebody stating they were from the Publisher's Clearing House. The suspect told her she had won ten million dollars, and that she needs to send them $250 by Western Union to claim her prize. Authorities say this is a common scam.
The individual is instructed to pay money before they can collect their so called winnings. The money will be requested by money transfer agencies, such as Western Union, and will purportedly be for registration.
Authorities say during this festive season it's important to remember to monitor your finances, and limit the number of personal details given over the internet, or telephone. There's always a Grinch out there looking to steal someone's Christmas, and a whole lot more.
