Protect your identity this holiday season from getting Scrooged

During the holidays, in addition to spending more money, we tend to be busier, more stressed out, and less careful than other times of the year. Identity thieves can and will take advantage of this to make sure you’re holidays aren’t very merry or bright. But in the spirit of Charles Dickens, here are some holiday tips to help protect your identity and make sure you don’t get Scrooged:

Protect your home.

Your greatest risk during the holidays is all of the extra people that come into your home. It makes it very easy to pocket a checkbook that’s on your desk or a brokerage statement in your filing cabinet.

“We’d all like to believe that the people we know wouldn’t steal from us,” said American Family Insurance Agent Todd Stanley. “Unfortunately, statistics prove that identity theft is committed by someone the victim knows approximately 30 to 50 percent of the time. I recommend that you shred every document you don’t need and buy a fire-safe to lock up your valuable identity documents. These safes make great gifts for people you care about!”

Use your credit card.

When you use checks or a debit card, the money is drawn directly from your bank account. If fraud occurs, it’s harder to get the money reimbursed and in the meantime, you don’t have the money to spend. Credit cards generally give you a longer period (ninety days) to catch the fraud before you are held liable. Debit cards generally give you thirty days.

Leave your purse at home.

Forty percent of all identity theft happens when a purse is stolen. So take a wallet that fits in your coat pocket or take your driver’s license and one or two credit cards and store them in your front pocket. If you must have a purse, use one that zips and hangs in front of you.

Watch your statements.

Most forms of holiday identity theft can be caught simply by monitoring your checking, debit, and credit card accounts frequently. By monitoring your financial statements, you will catch credit card and check theft immediately. Most financial institutions allow you to monitor your accounts online, which are fast, convenient, and smart. Many financial institutions will also allow you to sign up for automatic account alerts when any transaction occurs on your account.

Give yourself the gift of identity monitoring.

It is impossible to track all of the ways our identities are exposed, so take a moment and call your American Family Insurance agent about the Identity Fraud Expense Endorsement. The endorsement is in addition to homeowners, renters and condo owners. The coverage helps protect against the high costs related to restoring your identity and good name in the event it’s stolen. This endorsement covers expenses such as legal fees, loan reapplication fees, notary expenses and lost wages due to time taken from work to restore your credit.

So treat your private information with care and you’ll be sure to have a safe and happy holiday.

It’s that time of year again: Watch out for darting deer

An estimated 500,000 deer-vehicle crashes occur on U.S. roadways each year, resulting in thousands of injuries and multiple deaths. Most of these crashes occur between October and November during the deer-breeding season.

Most deer-related crashes occur in the country. But a growing number of these accidents are also taking place in or near residential areas, as new subdivisions are built closer to deer habitats.

Deer-vehicle crashes are often unavoidable, but here are a few defensive driving tips to minimize your chances:

• Stay alert, pay more attention to the road and roadside – and actually look for deer. Be especially alert at dawn and dusk, the peak movement times for deer and when visibility is low.
• Exercise special caution when moving through a posted deer crossing zone; the signs are there for a reason.
• If you see a deer on the road, brake firmly and blow your horn. Deer often fixate on headlights, so it may not be effective to just flash your lights.
• If you are unable to stop, do not swerve. It can cause you to lose control of your vehicle and hit a tree or another car.
• Look for other deer after one has crossed the road. Deer seldom run alone.
• Always wear your seatbelt. Most people injured in deer-vehicle crashes were not buckled.

If your vehicle strikes a deer, contact the authorities. You may be legally required to report an accident with significant vehicle damage, depending on state laws. Also contact your insurance company to report your claim. Collision with an animal is covered under the comprehensive section of your auto insurance policy.