NEW YORK – It’s an almost weekly occurrence: On Tuesday, Goodwill said its computer systems may have been hacked, leading to the possible theft of customers’ credit and debit card information. The nonprofit agency, which operates 2,900 stores in the U.S., said it is working with federal investigators to look into a possible breach.
That follows news over the weekend that Vendini, an event ticketing service, had settled a class-action suit related to a data breach in 2013. For many people who had ordered tickets through the service, an email about the settlement was their first notification that their information had been compromised. In the last year, major companies like Target, LinkedIn, eBay and Neiman Marcus have also been hacked.
The incidents are especially troubling to consumers as online and mobile shopping continues to grow. People aren’t likely to stop using their credit and debit cards any time soon, and as data breaches become increasingly common, consumers don’t often know what to do when a company they’ve done business with experiences a breach.
Here are five ways you can avoid becoming a victim of identity theft – even if your data has been compromised.
• 1. Monitor your bank statements. The easiest and most effective way to make sure someone hasn’t made fraudulent charges to your account is to keep a close tab on your bank statements. Gartner analyst Avivah Litan recommends checking at least once a month, if not more, for any suspicious activity. If you find something that doesn’t seem right, call your bank right away.