The protection of your identity this holiday season, and any holiday season for that matter, is very crucial to your financial security. Criminals will be prowling the stores, food courts, and the outlet malls looking for ways to make a quick buck or a “killing.” Not murder, but a lucrative heist on your financial future.

People and things to watch out for when trying to secure your identity

• pickpockets — make sure to keep your belongings safe by keeping them near you at all times. If at all possible, keep the purses and wallets at home. Take with you only what you need: ID card or drivers license and a credit card. Stick them in the front pocket of your pants. I don’t recommend having a large sum of cash on hand.
• shoulder surfers– these are the type of individuals who like to peek over your shoulder and take mental notes of things like:
  • your pin number
  • your credit card information
  • your checking account number information
• ATM scams — these are very hard to detect. You go to your local ATM and try to withdraw money. You stick your debit card into the ATM but no money’s coming out. After you key in your pin number numerous times, you try again. But, once again no success. You decide to give up and move on to another ATM. What you really don’t know is that a tech savvy criminal has just stolen your debit card information. He has the 16 digit number as well as your pin number. What you don’t know is that a device was placed within the frame of the card slot that collects the information for the identity thief.

How to counter these identity theft threats?

In order for you not to become a victim of any of these three threats I recommend doing only what is necessary.

For example, individuals with lavish purses and bulging back pockets filled with cash are more prone to theft than those who bring only the things that are truly necessary. Necessities like a drivers license and a credit card for holiday shopping should be kept in the safest place on you. In my experience, the front pocket of your pants is the best place. I highly recommend wearing jeans so that the contents of your pocket stay there securely.

If you have a shoulder surfer looking over your shoulder you should immediately hide your personal and financial information, or the item of interest, from the perpetrator’s view. Sometimes being bold and demanding can solve the problem. However, this could be a more dangerous technique which can have violent ramifications if you decide to confront the wrong person.

The thing with ATMs is a tricky one. Which ATM is really safe from tech-savvy identity thief? Well, to be honest, no ATM is really safe. If you have to take out cash, take it out from your bank’s ATM. Preferably, use the bank that you frequent the most. I don’t recommend taking money out from a third-party ATM, like those in malls and gas stations.

Secondly, there is something you can do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim, even if you have to take out money from a third-party ATM. You can make sure physically that there is nothing out of the ordinary before you insert your ATM card. Loose pieces, obscure attachments, and protruding wires should be the visible signs of a possible fraud operation. I recommend taking down the phone number that is associated with the ATM, then promptly leaving the location. After you find another safe ATM, finish your shopping, and wind down for miles and miles of walking, give that phone number a ring and report what you saw at the ATM.

I wish you a safe and a happy holiday season.

Plenty of banks are now closing or are being bought out. The most important question may be that which relates to your personal information. Is your identity safe?

The answer for the most part is: YES, but…

There may be banking institutions that may contribute to the rising statistics of identity theft. These financial establishments may put you at risk during their closing or merging process. As most of the information about customers is stored on computer servers it is viable that this same data may leak out due to negligence or employee retribution.

With the economy the way it is, people are struggling to provide certain necessities for their families. Imagine if you were to work for one of these failing financial institutions and then find out without suitable prior notice that your job is no more. You are fired, let go off, and without financial means. Certain employees may feel angry, opportunistic, or maybe both. With this mix of emotions their priorities and law-abiding stature may change. These same people who may have never thought of running a red light at an intersection are not considering to be white collar criminals.

Surely, the information is protected and there may be levels of protection that are present within a bank. However, with mass confusion and resentment the opportunities for identity theft which were never explored may in the end be executed.

In reality the information of customers and clients may never be safe. It is a fact that not all people can be trusted and this statement applies for computers also. It isn’t my objective to have you resent the human race, but it is my contention that an “eye opening” is overdue.

In reality there is not much you can do with regards to identity theft and bank closings. Even if you take out the money from your accounts, there is a trail of personal data that stays in the bank’s system. My advice is to hope and be positive. Chances of something like that happening are very small, but then who really knows?