The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year — especially for cyber criminals.
Hackers prey on consumers who fail to protect their personal information or report cyber threats.
When you shop this holiday season, the CyberSafe at USPS team recommends you follow these guidelines:
- Use trusted vendors and make sure you use legitimate sites. If you’re unsure, look it up on a trusted search engine to find out more.
- Be sure you know who you’re sending cash or checks to in order to reduce the chances of fraud. Refrain from using money-wiring services.
- Keep copies of order confirmations, receipts and other transactions.
- Check for any unauthorized charges on your credit card statements.
If you think you’ve fallen victim to identify theft, call the companies where you know the fraud occurred, place a fraud alert on your credit report and report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission.
You should also file a report with your local police department.
Additionally, if you use an ACE computer and suspect your information has been compromised, report it immediately to the CyberSecurity Operations Center by emailing CyberSafe@usps.gov.
The CyberSafe at USPS Blue site has additional information.