Prevent Identity Theft with a Free Credit Report from Quizzle

This post on how to prevent identity theft is brought to you by Quizzle. All opinions are our own.

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The holidays are a spectacular time with a flurry of activity. Between shopping, snow sports and all those holiday parties, you’re always on the go, go, go. As much fun as that can be, it also means you makes this time of year the easiest time for identity thieves to steal your information. Think about it: the more you’re out and about- especially when you’re frazzled from all the activity- the more chances thieves have to steal your purse or wallet.  Shopping online instead? You’re still at risk! Take a look at our tips to prevent identity theft and keep your information safe this holiday season.

Tips to Prevent Identity Theft During the Holidays

  • Keep your purse or wallet close to your front. I highly suggest a purse with a cross-body strap. This is really a MUST to prevent identity theft during holiday shopping. First, it keeps your valuables close to the front of your body.  Second, since you won’t need to put it down on a counter, you run less risk of accidentally leaving it behind or having thieves grab it and run. Ask the men in your life to carry wallets in the front pocket or the inside pocket of a jacket.
  • Use your own lock. When you go skiing or snowboarding, take along your own padlock for the lockers if possible. Those lockers are used by thousands of people throughout the season. Who knows if anyone duplicated the keys at some point? If you can’t bring your own lock, then leave your wallet at home or in the trunk of your locked car. Carry anything you absolutely need in a zippered pocket inside your snow gear.
  • Party wisely. Before heading to a holiday party with a large crowd of people you don’t know well, empty your wallet of all non-essential items at home. Take cash with you if you think you may need a cab later. If you absolutely MUST take a purse, make sure you keep it close at all times.
  • Shop from reputable sources. Online shopping is a great way to save money, as long as you’re shopping at legit places. Don’t get suckered into shopping at an unknown, shady-looking website just because they advertise a spectacular deal. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. While we highly encourage shopping small businesses, make sure they’re real businesses! Look for stores that are PCI Compliant (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), this means they meet the standards required to keep your information safe.
  • Use a secured network. Shop from your own home on your own password-protected Wi-Fi network. Your tablet or smart phone is great for finding coupons and deals while you’re out and about, but don’t enter your credit card information or access your bank account online from any network that isn’t your own.

Monitor your Identity with a Free Credit Report from Quizzle

Monitoring your credit report is incredibly important to helping prevent identity theft. The problem is, so many of the so-called “free” credit report sites aren’t really free! They often ask for your credit card so they can charge you at the end of your trial. Then you have to jump through hoops to cancel their expensive service. Quizzle is completely free all around. No credit card information needed at any step. I gave it a try and it took less than five minutes to get my free credit report. It was a full credit report too, not just snippets of useless information!

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Whether you’re worried about identity theft or not, it’s still important to check your credit report regularly. Having good credit opens the door for great opportunities. Using credit cards with bonus points can help you save big (as long as you pay them off in full each month!).  Quizzle also has other great tools to help you take full advantage of your good credit. The can even recommend credit cards that fit your credit score.

What do you do to prevent identity theft during the holidays? Do you regularly get free credit report checkups?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quizzle. The opinions and text are all mine.

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