The Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) wants to help citizens prevent identity theft, and not just during the holiday season.
Online shopping offers convenience, but it can be an invitation to hackers when transactions are conducted.
Once a hacker collects your data, it can be sold or used to make unauthorized purchases.
To safely make purchases online be sure to shop on private networks, check to see if the website is secure, and utilize credit card safety features such as online statements, spending alerts and new account notices.
The PSO offers these five tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft:
- Read your credit card and bank statements carefully and often.
- Know your payment due dates. If a bill doesn’t show up when you expect it to, look into it.
- Read the statements from your health insurance plan. Make sure claims match the care you received.
- File a police report if you feel you have been a victim of identity theft.
- Create an Identity Theft Report and get a personal recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.
Published December 01, 2021
