Protect yourself from identity theft and fraud this holiday season!

LAREDO, Tx. (KGNS) - The most wonderful time of the year is right around the corner, and federal officials are advising holiday shoppers about an uptick in credit card fraud and identity theft cases.

Last year, 1.1 million cases of identity theft were reported to the U.S. Commerce Department, which was roughly a total 34.36-billion-dollar losses.

So far in the middle of 2023, officials have reported 559,000 cases of identity theft cases.

To keep your identity protected, officials advise shoppers to keep an eye on your credit card statements, never save your credit card information, and never make an online purchase using public wifi.

When making a purchase online on an unfamiliar website, Special Agent Victor M. Rodríguez recommends doing some research before completing the transaction.

“Go personally to the store and see the article and compare to the this this purse or whatever, get to know the logo, the trademark,” said Special Agent Rodriguez. “Make sure that whatever you are buying you can compare it one thing from the other because we have a lot of counterfeit articles counterfeit goods that are being sold on the web.”

Rodriguez also recommends that if a price is too good to be true it’s possibly a scam or counterfeit.

If you are a victim of identity theft, it’s important to contact your bank as well as the authorities.

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