Police Warn of Identity Theft After Woman Becomes a Victim

WRENSHALL, Minn. - You might be scrambling to get your Christmas gifts, but police are warning you to slow down and take time to protect your information, especially if you're buying online. Just this month, Cloquet police have had nine reports of fraud. A Wrenshall family was blindsided when it happened to them and is currently picking up the pieces after their debit card information was stolen."It's the holidays,” said stay-at-home mom, Sara Merrier. “Why do you have to worry about your credit card number being taken?" It’s a scary thing to happen so close to the holidays, and thankfully the Merrier’s noticed something unusual before it was too late. After Thanksgiving, Merrier went online to pay some bills and when she pulled up her account she found $1,600 was charged to her card. "Somebody was planning a trip to go to Disneyland,” Merrier said. “They bought airline tickets. They bought tickets on Orbitz." They're not exactly sure how someone got ahold of their information, but police say online crime is on the rise."When the suspects are not in the area or they're out of the country, trying to hold them accountable or trying to recoup the losses that the victims have is really difficult," said detective Derek Randall, with the Cloquet Police Department. Police say when it comes to deals online, if it's too good to be true, it probably is."Stick to reputable companies, reputable websites," said Randall. His biggest tip is to have common sense when buying online, and change your passwords often because email is a criminal's gateway into your personal information."If you're ordering packages online you're getting tracking numbers,” he explained. “Your online banking information is all going to your email account." It's a scary incident that could happen to anyone this holiday season, but for the Merrier family it's a harsh lesson learned that you can never be too safe."The charges to be a Disney vacation, this is probably a family,” said Merrier. “It's just sad. It's really sad that people have to stoop so low." With more people shopping online for the holidays, police say porch thefts are a big worry and to avoid it have packages shipped where you work. Another tip from police is not to hide Christmas gifts in your car because they see a spike in break-ins this time of year.