ID theft rampant during the holidays

Canadians are worried about more than busting their budgets this season.

People are also anxious about identity theft, says Julie Springer, vice president at TransUnion, who adds shoppers at busy malls can have their wallets stolen, and mail theft and cyber scams are more common during the holidays.

A recent Google survey found more than half (54%) of Canadians are afraid of having their identity stolen while holiday shopping.

Read: Educate clients about financial fraud risks

TransUnion offers the following prevention tips:

When visiting malls, people shouldn’t carry Social Insurance cards, birth certificates or passports. They should also leave behind wholesale club cards and library cards, which have personal information on them.
Tell clients to shred all mail that contains personal, identifying information before throwing it out.
People have to keep a close eye on credit card bills. This also helps them track spending.
Help clients monitor their credit by showing them how to enrol in a credit monitoring service that alerts people email to changes in their credit reports, such as when someone tries to open an account in their name. The service isn’t free.
When shopping online, people should only do business with websites that have security measures in place. Check to ensure URLs begin with “https” versus “http,” and there should be a lock next to the address bar.

Read:

When a client’s identity is stolen

7 tips for preventing ID theft while vacationing

Cyber threats pose systemic risks to markets

Monitoring digital risks crucial for businesses