The grinch who steals more than just your Christmas

CATOOSA COUNTY, Georgia(WDEF) – The recent arrest of a woman in Catoosa County is shedding light on whether or not personal financial information is 100-percent safe.

Kandi Summers of Hixson was arrested and charged with 10 counts of financial identity and transaction credit card fraud.

Her arrest comes at a time when many people rely on credit and debit cards to purchase Christmas gifts. But when it comes to how confident consumers feel about the safety of their financial information, the reaction is mixed.

"It makes it hard because you have to think twice about how you’re going to conduct your shopping. I’m still probably going to do most of it with a credit card because that’s what I have on me most of the time. It’s just easier. I try to be as cautious as I can as far as whose around me and whose watching and I try to protect the numbers," said Carla Pritchard of Chattanooga.

"I feel pretty confident. I’ve never had my identity stolen or anything bad happen to me from using a credit or debit card. But to stay safe, I do try to use cash during this time of year," said Kayla Krook of Chattanooga.

"I fell pretty good. You have to be careful but a lot of the banking and financial institutions have really increased their security so I think it’s pretty safe," said John Hegerman of Chattanooga.

In reality, banking information may not always be as safe as many may think.

Most recently, accounts at Citigroup, Regions and JP Morgan Chase were targeted by hackers. 

During last years Christmas season, information from a whopping 40-million credit and debit cards was stolen from Target. During that same time period, an estimated 56-million cards were breached by a cyber attack on Home Depot’s payment system.

First Tennessee Bank spokesperson, Jack Bradley said the stakes are high and everyone needs to be on alert for potential credit fraud.

"We suggest that customers monitor their checking and or credit card accounts for any unauthorized purchases. Let us know immediately. We also monitor from our end. We are always doing everything possible to protect customers," Bradley said.

To make a long story short, there will always be a potential Grinch who is looking to steal your Christmas and possibly a lot more.