With the holiday season in full swing and online shopping more popular then ever, Scottrade would like to take a minute to remind you to take steps to protect your identity.

At Scottrade, we treat your personal information confidentially and maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect against unauthorized access to your information. Protecting your identity, however, is ultimately up to you. Whether you're on Scottrade's secure Web site or online looking for that hard-to-find gift on an obscure, little-known site, Scottrade is here to help you become the first line of defense against identity theft.

Below is a list of nine things you can do to help protect yourself.

1. Install security software. Scottrade has partnered with McAfee® to offer you a complimentary one-year subscription to McAfee VirusScan® Plus. This software includes integrated antivirus, firewall and anti-spyware technologies that work together to combat today's sophisticated online attacks. Included in the download is McAfee SiteAdvisor™ that adds an additional layer of protection against phishing and e-mail scams.

In order to take advantage of this offer, you will need to log into your Scottrade account through the Trading Web Site.

• From the Home Tab, click on the Security Center link on the left-side menu. This will take you to Scottrade's Security Center home page.
• Next, click on the McAfee tab at the top of the page and click the red Download Now button.
• You will then be directed to the McAfee Web site where you can sign up for your complimentary one-year subscription.

2. Educate yourself. Take the time to familiarize yourself with threats such as phishing, pharming, spyware and Trojan horses, and learn how to reduce your risks online. A good place to learn about current threats is Scottrade's Security Center.

3. Understand phishing. Phishing is a scam that attempts to collect your personal information through an e-mail or pop-up window that appears to be legitimate. Remember that e-mail is NOT a secure method of transmitting information, and you should be extremely cautious about answering e-mail requests for your personal information. Scottrade will never ask you to disclose your account information or personal information in an unsolicited e-mail.

4. Create a hard-to-guess password. It's important that you don't use a predictable password. Avoid using nicknames, birthdates, anniversary dates or pet names. Also, mix capital and lower case letters and include numbers and punctuation marks in your password. Furthermore, never tell your password to someone and never write down or e-mail your password to anyone. And finally, change your password periodically.

5. Keep your operating system and Web browser updated. You should regularly download security updates and patches for your operating system. Also, keep your Internet browser up-to-date in order to utilize the most current security technologies.

6. Review your financial history regularly. You should review your statements and transaction history for all your financial accounts, including your Scottrade account. At Scottrade, you can request e-mail alerts be sent to you every time there is a trade in your account. Also, you should request a free copy of your credit report annually. You can visit www.annualcreditreport.com, a service created by the major credit bureaus, to order your free credit report each year.

7. Protect your wireless network. You should enable the highest level of encryption available for your router and change your router's default password. For more information on this and other information regarding wireless network security, visit Scottrade's Security Center.

8. Back up your files on a regular basis. You should set up a schedule to back up your important files and data onto CDs, DVDs or an external hard drive.

9. Report suspected fraud. Report the fraud to the company being misrepresented as well as the FTC. Contact numbers and more information are available on Scottrade's Security Center.

Together with Scottrade's rigorous security safeguards and your due diligence, we can create a safe and secure online trading environment. If you have any questions about security and your Scottrade account, please contact your local Scottrade Branch Office.