How to keep your personal information safe during the crazy festive season

According to a recent study done by Trans Union survey in 2017, 75 per cent of South African adults are worried about the possibility of identity theft.

Garnet Jensen the director at Trans Union said the problem with identity theft is that victims typically only find out about the theft months later, by which time their account is in arrears and other credit accounts have been opened in their names.

READ: How to avoid identity theft

Here are five tips for keeping your identity safe this festive season:

• Keep your identity documents safe. Be careful where you keep your ID documents and don’t carry them on you if you don’t have too.
• Be alert when using ATMs. Look out for anything even faintly suspicious when banking at ATMs or card terminals. Pay attention to the device being used and your surroundings.
• Shop from reputable websites. Before providing any personal or payment information, ensure the URL is secure and begins with ‘https’ (not ‘http’).
• Beware of calls, SMSs and emails bearing gifts. If a caller, email or SMS offers a financial reward or requests personal or banking information, delete it. And never, ever click on a link you don’t know.
• Sign up for credit alerts and check your credit report. One of the first places identity theft shows up is on your credit report. It is therefore important to regularly check your credit report for changes.