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This holiday season, while we\u2019re making shopping lists and checking them twice, it\u2019s just as important to think about safeguarding our personal information. Each year, approximately 17 million Americans become victims of identity theft, and with the increase in shopping around the holidays, more people become vulnerable to this reality.<\/p>\n
December is Identity Theft Protection Month and at TruWest Credit Union we take this topic very seriously. Much progress has been made over the last few years with cyber and financial security, but hackers continue to find ways to steal credit card information and create online scams that can trick even the most frequent, card-swiping shoppers and seasoned internet users.<\/p>\n
Here are some ways to protect your information as you swipe and shop online this holiday season:<\/p>\n
Watch the WiFi Connection<\/strong><\/p>\n While it might be nice to hop on free internet connections in airports or local coffee shops, public WiFi is the easiest place for hackers to steal information. They are able to gain access to everything you click on and send, including credit cards, social security numbers, addresses and banking information. Save the shopping until you can access a private connection.<\/p>\n P@ssw0rd Protection<\/strong><\/p>\n Most of us use long, complex passwords for emails and bank accounts and then we auto-save them to access easier next time. It\u2019s important to remember the rules about secure passwords also run true for storing other information on ecommerce websites. Any personal information saved can leave you exposed if that site gets hacked. Think twice about auto-saving credit card information and be careful about who you share those accounts with, whether it be family or friends.<\/p>\n