Many people are taking advantage of online shopping because it is easy and convenient.  You do not have to leave the house, fight the crowd in the store, fight for a parking spot and deal with rude store clerks.  When you decide to shop online there are some things that you should remember to make it a safe experience.

You should always know who you are buying from and if it is a store that you have not shopped at before make sure that you take some time to research the store to see what other customers have to say about their experience shopping at this store.  You can even call the number for customer service and ask about their guarantees and policies.  If you cannot find a phone number send them an email and ask them these questions and any others you might have before you buy anything from them.

Make sure that the store’s website is encrypted so any personal and financial information is secure before it is sent over the internet.  One way to make sure that the site is encrypted is to make sure that the website address begins with “https” and not “http” before you hit the send button.  The “S” on the end of “http” means that the site is secure and it is safe to send your personal and financial information.
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It may be hard to believe but many customers and merchants are most likely to become a victim of identity theft caused by one of the employees rather than by a scamster or criminal outside of the business.   When you get ready to pay and you have a choice of paying as your leave or in a restaurant setting giving the card to a waiter you should opt to pay at the register.  By doing this you are taking the necessary precautions to keep your card from being skimmed which is a scam where the employee takes an unauthorized scan of your credit card.  If you have to give your card to a sales clerk or a waiter try to keep the card in sight at all times.

Make sure that you get your credit card back quickly from the sales clerk or the waiter.  At some bars if you are running a tab the bartender will want you to give them your credit card to keep at the register so you will not stiff the establishment of money.  Do not do this because if the credit card sits at the register or bar it not only get lost or if you have a little too much to drink you may forget to pick it up.  In addition, it might get skimmed or an employee or someone else sitting at the bar that can see the card might take a picture of it with a cell phone camera.

You should also be looking for security cameras because PCI data security standards has a requirement that makes sure merchants who process credit cards in person have to have security cameras trained on the areas of credit card processing but unfortunately many of them do not.  Another area that you should be concerned about is tip fraud which means that whenever you add a service tip onto your card you are risking a tip fraud.

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If you think identity theft cannot happen to you, then you are wrong because no one is immune from identity theft no matter how diligent you are in protecting your personal information.  Most people do not find out their identity has been stolen until some type of damage is done.  One of the best ways to find out if your identity has been stolen is to monitor your bank statements and credit card accounts each month.  If you notice any thing out of the ordinary or any unauthorized charges, immediately notify the bank or Credit Card Company where you notice the discrepancy.  In addition, make sure you check your credit report once a year for free.

How a person finds out their identity has been stolen

• A collection agency calls you about any over due debts that you never made.
• You apply for any type of loan or mortgage and get turned down because there is a problem with your credit history.
• You receive some type of information in the mail regarding a house you never bought, a job you never had, an apartment you never rented, or a car you never leased.

Your identity has been stolen so what should you do

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Having your identity stolen can be a very frightening experience not to mention one that can takes months to years to straighten out.  If you have been a victim of identity theft there are certain rights that you do have as a victim.  When you know that you have become a victim of identity theft you have the right to file a report with the law enforcement agency and ask for a copy of it to use as proof your identity has been stolen.

You also have a right to get an identity theft report that is like a police report but does into more detail.  It should contain enough information that the businesses and credit reporting companies can verify that you are a victim.  It will also let them know just what information or accounts have been affected.

When you start to deal with the various credit reporting companies you have the right to put a ninety day initial fraud alert on your credit files.  You should do this if you think you are a victim or may become a victim of identity theft.  This alert just tells the users of your credit report that they must take steps to verify who is trying to get credit in your name.  To do this, all you have to do is contact just one of the credit reporting bureaus and they will contact the other two bureaus.

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Take action immediately once you realize you have become a id theft victim.  This is means that there are going to be hundreds of phone calls, countless hours, and lots of writing to keep meticulous records of all the conversations you have.  In addition, you need to realize that you are going to find yourself repeating some of the same information over and over.  You are also going to spending several hundreds of dollars on mailing out certified letters and documents not including the wages you may loose if you have to go to court.  You may also have to deal with collection agencies for bills you did not create.  You are going to have to check your credit reports to see what damage has been done, and you will need to make sure that your medical records have not been compromised.  There is so much that you will have to do to get your identity back.

You need to make sure your bank and credit card company have been contacted.  You should also contact at least one of the credit reporting agencies to report the fraud.  By law, they are required to notify the other two agencies.  They will also send you a free credit report.  Make sure that they put a fraud alert on your report.  You may also want to ask them if they can freeze any applications for credit until you tell them to remove it. In addition, make sure that you change your passwords and PIN number on all your accounts.
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