Is Your Identity Protected?

I apologize for not being around the last couple of days. My children have been taking turns coming down with a sickness the last couple of weeks and I have been so tired! Not just that, but our internet at home was down for a couple of days as well. It’s really hard to blog from the phone, and since the kids were sick and I was tired, I just took a little time off. Now I’m way behind and plan to get caught up as I get the chance…Family first. 

Speaking of family first…

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? 

I can’t believe that Christmas is only a couple of months away! Where did summer go? 

With everyone shopping for gifts for loved ones, family members and friends I thought it might be important to remind you all about identity theft protection. It is important to always be sure you are careful when using your credit/debit cards. For instance, when you are paying for something or at a restaurant, try not to let the person leave your site with your card. Many instances have been reported where a sales clerk/cashier had taken photos of the cards and later used them for purchases themselves. It is scary to think that it can happen to you in an instant and you may not even realize it. 

A lot of credit card companies offer this sort of protection, however it comes as a monthly fee on your credit card bill, and if you are like me you prefer to keep your credit card bills as low as possible. There are other options though. Companies such as Identity Hawk can help you protect your identity and give you that ease of mind, especially during this hard economy when some people that normally wouldn’t stoop so low to steal someone’s identity, now feel they have no other option. There are other options, however some people are getting desperate. Identity Hawk offers exclusive technology that goes beyond typical identity protection services as they give you a more accurate picture of where your identity is at risk and how it might be used without your knowledge. While other services inform you after you’ve already become a victim, IdentityHawk stops fraud before it starts. They have an early-warning monitoring system that detects suspicious activity across the Web and automatically alerts you, so you can avoid becoming a victim. It’s worth looking into, and they even offer a free 30 day trial. 

I once applied for a department store credit card. I used the card that day in the store as it was supposed to save me some extra money. When I received the bill I was shocked at how much was charged to me. There was some mistake because I was supposed to have saved money for opening and using my card. After scanning the bill I realized that there were quite a few charges for baby GIRL clothing. Immediately I knew that something was wrong. When I looked at where the charges came from they were from a store in another state, very far away from where I live. I immediately called the credit card company and was lucky that they were able to look into it and take the extra charges off for me. I would have been very disappointed if the charges would not have been erased. 

How are you going to protect yourself this year when you are doing your holiday shopping?