How to Avoid Fraud During the Holidays

It is a sad fact that every holiday season, many thousands of people will have their wallet lifted or their identity stolen. A determined crook can gain access to your financial information, sometimes to information you unknowingly provide to him or her. Charity fraud is another unscrupulous crime that reaches its apex during the holidays. This year, be fraud smart and protect your hard-earned money and personal information before you purchase the first item.

Clean Your Purse

Before you head out the door to enjoy some shopping and holiday lights, clean out your purse. Do not carry around bank statements, credit card receipts, Social Security cards, passports or birth certificates. Extra credit cards are also a no-no unless you plan to use them. Leave these items at home somewhere secure.

Credit Card List

Write down all of your card numbers, expiration dates, customer service telephone numbers and credit limits on one sheet of paper. Keep this paper in a home safe or lock box. If a card comes up missing you won't have to waste valuable time digging around for information. You can report problems immediately.

Credit Reports

Before the holidays, review your credit report. After the holiday shopping season is complete, order another credit report. Examine this report and look for any unauthorized spending that may have occurred. Stay vigilant by using your credit reports.

Protect Personal Information

Be wary of phone calls or emails asking you for passwords or other information linked to your financial accounts. Even companies like ebay or PayPal never ask their customers for this information. Refuse to give your Social Security number until you can verify the caller is who he or she claims to be.

Computer Shut Down

Never leave your browser open after a session of holiday shopping. Close out any browsers and change the passwords to your favorite online stores frequently. This little measure may help you prevent granting a smooth criminal access to store accounts and credit card information.

Charitable Giving

Rely on more than one source to give you a good reference about a new charity. Before you give the first dollar, check the charitable organization's charity ranking. By checking their ranking, you can see how much of your gift will actually go to the people who need it rather than being disbursed to administrators. Listen to your gut when it comes to giving. Often we can sense there is something wrong before we understand what it is.