NEW YORK -- The holiday shopping season is officially in full swing. But before you start pulling out your credit cards and check books, you'll want to make sure you're safe from identity theft.

All the extra shopping you do this time of year could make you more vulnerable to fraud.

Sunmark FCU Marketing & Retail Operations VP Susan Siegal said, "The more you monitor your account, keep in touch with your statement, see what's there, it's very important that you report anything that doesn't look right to you. Even if you're not sure, report it so that activity can be monitored and hopefully you can avoid a real problem."

The New York State Consumer Protection Board, meanwhile, is warning people to be careful when shopping online. Officials say you should only give out essential information and credit card numbers to reputable dealers in order to avoid identity theft.

A spike in Internet shopping is expected because it allows consumers to easily compare prices and save money on gas.