Thanksgiving will be upon us this week, and the holiday season begins in earnest until the new year. Here in Maine, it is a time for families to get together, a time for gift giving, revelry, celebrations, personal reflections and good memories, a busy time with commitments and long lists of things to do.

Unfortunately, it is also a time when ID scammers and other consumer fraud artists are most active. Consumers are focused on the holidays, and modern-day pickpockets are focused on your pocketbook.

Here at Northeast COMBAT, we urge you to be more vigilant over the entire holiday season. And remember, as that mechanized robot on TV long ago used to say, “Warning! Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!” Here are just a few of the scams you may fall victim to here if you let your guard down. Yes, it can and does happen here.

Credit and debit card skimming

This is when the bad guy (or gal) is a store clerk. They smile and accept your credit or debit card as you present it to pay for your purchase.

First, they run the card through a small electronic hand “skimmer” that collects all the essential data from your account.

Next, they swipe the card through the register or credit card machine for your purchase.

Later, they recode your information onto another credit card and drain your account.

Let’s also not forget the cards that disappear from our dining table when we are out to eat and magically return with a slip for our signature.

We customers all know how easy it is to be distracted at the register. People attend to fussy or active young children. They chat with someone they know waiting in line.

The bottom line here is pay attention to the whereabouts of your card at all times. Try not to let it out of your sight and make sure it doesn’t get swiped twice.

Telephone caller ID scams

The Christmas elves are not all good. Thieves know full well that many people use caller ID to screen their phone calls.

These scammers have learned how to manipulate the technology so that the ID that pops up on your telephone is bogus.

Often the number of the local hospital is used and a person calls and poses as a physician in the ER. “Your wife has been seriously injured in a car crash, and we need her insurance information.”

They will ask for her name, social security number, date of birth, and other information. The poor husband panics and, without blinking an eye, forks over instantly all the information necessary for the crooks to steal his wife’s identity. The only real crash is when the balance of your accounts quickly hit zero.

The remedy: Never give out information over the telephone unless you made the call. When you are called, ask for the caller’s telephone number, record it on paper for use with authorities, and call them back. Verify who the caller is and who the caller claims to be.

Jury duty scams

The ID crook calls and says he is an officer of the court. A warrant for your arrest has been issued because you failed to report for jury duty and they have notified you several times.

“Perhaps we made a mistake here,” they say. “Give me your name, social security number, etc.” You get the picture. The bad guys create a stressful or panic situation, and you forget to be cautious and spill your financial beans. Here again, the potential victim needs to say, “Give me your number. I’ll call you back.”

Credit card crooks at a mall

Crooks go to a bank and ask for 100 Visa and MasterCard credit card applications under the pretense that they want to put these in people’s mailboxes at a condominium complex they manage. They then take these forms to a mall, set up a table and encourage people to sign up for a new credit card, using these applications. Once the unsuspecting applicants fork over the information on the application, their identities and bank accounts soon become history.

In a later column, we’ll spend some time talking about “phishing,” that is, using e-mail to trick you into giving up your personal information, another too common holiday scam.

These nasty scams are just the tip of the holiday iceberg. Sadly, there are many, many more. Please cut this article out and share it with your friends, relatives and neighbors. Think of the elderly people in your life (a scam-vulnerable population) and ways you can help them protect themselves and thwart these ID theft criminals.

We don’t mean to give you Thanksgiving indigestion. Our goal is for a safe and secure holiday season for all Mainers. Let’s enjoy the holidays secure in the knowledge that we can stop these ID theft turkeys.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT-Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded, nonprofit organization. Individual memberships $25, business rates start at $125 (0-10 employees). For help and information, write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.