Identity Theft in December
During the Holidays, Identity Theft Can Increase
Police in Cranbury, New Jersey have recently alerted their community about possible identity theft scams. Recently, the Cranberry Police Department has noticed a large number of complaints from townspeople who have experienced phone calls asking for personal information, only to find their identities had been stolen later on.
Never, Never, Never
It goes without saying but you should never give out any personal information about yourself or any family member over the phone. If you do receive any suspicious calls asking for such information, you should notify the police, and perhaps your phone company can trace the number where the call originated.
If the caller seems to insist that the matter is urgent, ask for more information. If the person claims to be calling from a bank, ask for the name of the bank. Then hang up and call the operator to get the number for the bank assuming it isn’t your own bank which you would presumably already have the number for. Call that bank yourself. Don’t dial a number that the original caller gave you as that can be part of the scam. The identity theft criminal might be working in a pair or as part of a group and have someone waiting for your call at a phony number. You just never can tell, so remain cautious.
Vigilance Pays Off
Identity theft requires vigilance especially around the holiday season. It is quite possible that the Cranbury Police Department in New Jersey has noticed an increase in complaints because of the time of year it is-the holiday season! We tend to get very busy around the holidays and let our guard down. An identity theft criminal might masquerade as a charitable organization in order to get individuals to provide personal information. If you have caller ID, you might even want to avoid answering calls that have blocked numbers.
If you want to avoid becoming the victim of identity theft, you have to be cautious all year long and especially at the holidays. Identity theft can occur all too easily if we as consumers provide the means for identity theft criminals to steal our identities, so remain alert.