We’re ramping up to the holiday shopping season and the experts tell us be especially careful when using credit cards. That’s because the potential for identity theft also ramps up.
It’s mighty easy to take that credit card out of the wallet to make that special holiday purchase. It’s also a time when identity thieves are looking for easy marks. "It does tend to be more of a problem during the holidays for a couple of reasons. Number one, we’re making more transactions, we’re spending more money so there’s more opportunities for things to happen. But also the bad guys know that there’s more activity going on, people are doing more," Ken Newman of Central Pacific Bank.
The holidays also mean a time for traveling and Newman says it’s a good idea to copy down your credit card numbers and leave them in a safe place. "Especially if you’re traveling, it’s a good idea to have all those things and have them with a trusted friend or a relative while you’re going to be away."
It’s also best to travel with a minimum number of cards. Newman says, "From a travel standpoint, there’s a whole host of things obviously, but because we’re going to be traveling, we’re going to be making more transactions. It’s important to understand what cards we’re going to use. Most credit cards for example have zero liability associated with them so if someone’s going to be traveling, maybe they just bring a credit card."
Many banks also offer something called an automated alert system. It’s something you may want to consider. "So if your typical spending pattern is just in Honolulu and all of a sudden there’s purchases going on in France, that’s going to raise an alert and somebody is going to make a call to try and find out if the information is valid," said Newman.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
