This holiday season, consumers need to shop being especially aware that it is a time of year when identity thieves are the most active. Scams and frauds online and in stores will be lurking for unsuspecting victims.

First, there is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when everyone wants to go out and find those great deals before Christmas arrives. Unfortunately, it is also the perfect time for an identity thief to target their victims, who are oblivious to the fact that they are being targeted. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) reported last year that consumers lost more than $1.2 billion to identity theft.

Then, there is Cyber Monday. This is the Monday after Thanksgiving when majority of online shoppers like to do their shopping. The National Retails Federation reported that last year, an estimate of 72 million people shopped online on that particular day. This was an opportunity for identity thieves to have a “picnic” with so much to choose from.

“While the holiday season is surely a time for cheer and celebration, it is also a time when identity thieves are waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce on unsuspecting consumers,” said LifeLock(R) CEO Todd Davis. “Whether it takes place at shopping malls or online, identity theft can increase over the holidays. However, we are confident that if consumers are armed with the necessary tools to protect their personal information, thieves will not continue to profit nearly as much off innocent victims.”

Here are some tips offered by LifeLock for shoppers this season:

–Memorize your social security number and stop carrying your social security card in your wallet.

–Be sure to write the words “See ID” on the back of all of your credit and debit cards next to your signature. This will help remind cashiers who are handed your card to be sure the card belongs to the purchaser by checking ID before completing an in store purchase.

–Be sure that when you make purchases at stores that require you to key in your PIN number, that no one is close enough to you to look over your shoulder and see your number being entered or even trying to record your actions with their cell phone. Cover the keypad when typing.

–Be on the lookout for email “phishing” scams. These are emails that look like they are coming from well known companies, but are asking you to provide your personal information.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 7:18 am and is filed under LifeLock. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.