How To Prevent Identity Theft This Holiday Season

I know many of you are excited around this time of year, especially when the holidays is coming around, however, you must be aware that during this winter season, it is crucial to be on high alert of theft; We don't want to see your holiday spirits getting ruined by this matter. This means that when you are out doing your shopping, make sure to keep all your valuable items in your trunk, along with locking your home when you are out, and be sure to leave some lights on so it is not obvious that your home is empty. Our Farmers friend Paul Quinn teaches us and tells us to be mindful of how our identity is important to us. Below is an article he wrote of tips in regards to identity theft during this holiday season. Contact Paul Quinn

Identity theft is generally defined as someone using your personal information (such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information) in a fraudulent manner.
Know that skilled identity thieves may use the following methods to get hold of your information:

1. Dumpster Diving -They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
2. Skimming - They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
3. Phishing – They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
4. Changing Your Address - They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
5. Old-Fashioned Stealing – They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records or bribe employees who have access.
6. Pretexting - They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies and other sources

The best way to deter identity theft is shredding financial documents when discarding them,  keeping your social security card in a safe place, not giving out your personal information to suspicious callers, mailings or internet sites and closely monitoring your bank and credit card statements.

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