As Holiday Shopping Begins, Experts Warn Consumers Should Be On Guard For Identity Theft

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As the holiday shopping season gets under way, experts are warning consumers to beware of scams and identity theft.

With the best deals and bargains can come big worries, especially when it comes to shopping online.

"They see these incredible deals on high-end electronics that they can't find in the stores at incredible prices," said Northeastern California Better Business Bureau president Gary Almond.

He says that crooks are getting savvy, targeting consumers online. Hot deals are the easiest way to an unsuspecting victim's wallet and information.

"The big thing is that people shop at sites that are not real," he said.

He recommends studying up on sites and looking to see if you have a secure connection. The URL should begin with HTTPS instead of just HTTP.

Shoppers say they're aware of the scams and have taken their own precautions including using credit cards or cash whenever possible over debit cards, and monitoring your accounts.

If you're worried about a data breach like the one that hit Target last holiday season, Almond says there's not much you can do about that.

"Even the company itself is a victim of targeted effort," he said.

But he says stores are taking steps to make sure what happened last year doesn't happen again.

"A lot of beefed up network security and doing consumer awareness so people don't misuse their credit card information," he said.