“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” right? Most everybody out there loves Christmas; if not for the consumerism, then for the time spent with friends and family. It’s a time for holiday cheer, for celebration and gift giving and shopping and delicious, delicious food.
It’s also identity theft prime-time.
Today’s infographic presents some rather distressing statistics regarding sales, both online and offline. According to the graphic, depending on how you shop (either online or offline), 70-75% of your personal information could be vulnerable to theft, either by data breach, data leak, or interception. That’s not even the worst part, either. Even if the retailer or organization that’s been breached recognizes there’s a problem, not all of them are necessarily accountable: only 21% are actually prepared to notify their customers of a breach. Worse; 79% of victims won’t actually be told about the compromise. The only good news is that credit card fraud is only a small percentage of identity theft crimes (15%) – other forms of fraud come first.
Unfortunately, there’s really no way to prevent your data from being stolen, if it gets into the hands of a careless organization with incompetent employees. All you can really do, the infographic concludes, is remain vigilant. Be wary of every site you see that isn’t a reputable, well-known retail. Constantly monitor your personal information, and make it a habit to check up on yourself so that you can make sure no one is using your data where they shouldn’t.
Check your credit card statements. Monitor your accounts. Know exactly how much money you have, and exactly how much you’re spending. Basically, be diligent and cautious – particularly if you’re shopping online this holiday season. After all, there are quite a few hackers out there who feel that the perfect Christmas gift is your personal information.
Anyway, the infographic is below. Click to enlarge.
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