ID Theft Experts Provide Tips to Keep Your Identity Personal this Holiday Season

Online and offline habits may make consumers susceptible to identity thieves

BEAVERTON, Ore., Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Out shopping with a bag full ofreceipts? Piles of special end-of year credit card promotions filling yourmailbox? Leaving home on vacation? All of these situations provide a primeopportunity for identity thieves to strike.Rick Kam, president of identity theft protection and personal identityrecovery company ID Safeguards, warns, "The holiday season is ripe foridentity thieves to do their dirty work, and whether you realize it or not,you may be helping them. By taking a few simple steps, you can protectyourself from the efforts of fraudsters."

By following a few simple online and offline tips, consumers can decreasethe odds of becoming a victim this holiday. Top tips for protecting yourselfare:

-- Keep your whereabouts online a mystery: Your e-mail message should NOT

state you are on vacation, nor should you state on your blog or social

networking site that you are going out of town. Instead, say you are

out of the office spending time with family or you are going to take a

rest from your blog updates during the holiday.

-- New Year, New Passwords: Out with the old and in with the new. Make it

your yearly time to give new passwords to your online accounts.

-- Watch for the double swipe: Don't let yourself get distracted while

checking out. Sales assistants have been known to use devices called

skimmers to quickly swipe customer credit card numbers.

-- Shop, save and compare: Save all your online and physical shopping

receipts. As much as you don't want to look at those credit card

statements after the holidays, make sure they match your receipts. Call