MyCallcredit warns Christmas revellers to protect their ID

With debit and credit card spending set for a year on year rise of 11.6 per cent during December, online credit report service MyCallcredit is warning people to look after their plastic this Christmas.

Mark Ward, head of consumer services at MyCallcredit says: “Spending on debit and credit cards is forecast to be around £31.8 billion in December. This gives card fraudsters millions of opportunities to steal the IDs of unsuspecting shoppers and revellers.

“And while Christmas is a time for giving there’s no excuse for making life easy for criminals, people need to take care and follow our advice for keeping their finances safe during the festive period.”

How to protect yourself from ID thieves over Christmas and the New Year:

Budget for your nights out and leave your plastic at home – it’s difficult to keep tabs on your card in a crowded bar.

Shield your pin number when making purchases or cash withdrawals.

Don’t use any cash machine which looks unusual or has a protruding card insertion point.

Check your receipts and don’t throw any away which display the whole of your card number without ripping or shredding.

Keep a record of the numbers you need to ring if your credit and debit cards are stolen so you can cancel your cards as soon as possible

Monitor your bank account and credit card statements for unrecognised payments, it’s easy to miss £50 here or there at this time of year.

Don’t respond to unsolicited emails or phone calls asking for personal details.

If internet shopping, only use secure sites and make sure the locked padlock or unbroken key symbol is showing in the bottom right corner of your browser

Treat yourself to a shredder and make sure you shred any financial documents before throwing them away.

Check your credit file at mycallcredit.co.uk and cancel any unwanted credit facilities.