Shopping online for your holiday shopping needs is far superior to braving the stores in a lot of ways. If you can find cheap or free shipping, you can use coupon codes to save a bundle from your own computer. However, if you’re not careful, you could fall prey to one of the worst things you can go through financially: identity theft. Here are some tips that will help keep you and your personal information safe this holiday season:

1. Keep an Eye Out for Holiday Packages: be sure to require a signature upon arrival when it comes to online orders (or denote that you don’t mind having a neighbor accept the package). Not only will thieves make out with your goods if they get away with stealing – you could also fall prey to identity theft if the package contains personal information.
2. Get Off the Marketing Lists for Pre-Approved Credit: thieves can potentially save these offers from your mail and use them to get credit in your name. Just opt out of receiving these offers by heading over to https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t.
3. Shred it and Forget it: invest in a cross-cutting paper shredder and dispose of documents (with personal information) you no longer need that way. Store documents you do need in a locked cabinet or drawer.
4. Be Careful What You Share:
   

   Using social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends and relatives, but don’t post your address, Social Security number, birth date or other personal information. And be aware that digital photos may have geocoding features that reveal the locations where they were shot (such as your home). Use the privacy settings on the social networks that you use to limit the personal information that you share.

5. Be Wise When You Use Wireless Internet Connections: when shopping online, only connect to wireless networks that require a network security key or certificate.

For more safety tips, head over to Consumer Reports’ 10 tips to prevent ID theft while holiday shopping.