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Britt Erica Tunick is an award winning financial journalist who has spent the past 17 years writing about virtually every aspect of finance. She has mastered the art of boiling down complicated financial topics for readers to understand. |
Credit card fraud is rampant, but by taking these few steps, you can improve your chance of staying safe. Steps You Can Take To Make Yourself a Less Likely Victim of Credit Card Theft
Steps You Can Take To Make Yourself a Less Likely Victim of Credit Card Theft
By Britt Erica Tunick
The unfortunate reality is there is nothing you can really do to make sure you are never the victim of credit card fraud. That said, there are certainly steps you can take to make yourself a less likely target.
The average person uses credit cards as a part of daily life, from online purchases, to automated payments and in-person usage in stores. As a result, there are more ways than ever for thieves to get hold of your credit card information. However, as the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed. Following are a few steps you can take to make it harder for anyone to steal your credit card information, and to more easily reign in the damage if someone does get it:
- Sign your cards. It may sound stupidly simple, but many people don’t bother signing their credit cards anymore, making it easier for someone to use your card if it is lost or stolen. And if you don’t want to sign your cards, instead write the phrase “ASK FOR ID” on the signature line, which will prompt cashiers to seek identification verification.
- Keep a record of all of your cards, their numbers and the numbers to dial for customer service. This way, if you card is stolen and used you can quickly notify the card providers and cut off any significant damage.
- Whenever possible, watch the person you give your card to for in-person transactions.
- Never leave your bag or wallet unattended with credit cards in it.
- Never give your card information to anyone who calls you claiming to be a business or organization seeking donations/payment/etc. If you want to make a payment to a particular organization by phone, only do so when you have called them and know for sure that the person you are speaking with is legitimate.
- Check your credit card activity online at least once a week and immediately report any suspicious charges.
- Check receipts against your card statement.
- Never sign a credit slip that isn’t completely filled in. And, in cases where there is space for a tip, but you aren’t leaving one/it isn’t applicable, put a line through that space and fill in the total.
- Only make online purchases from websites that have visible security in place, such as the padlock icon that appears at the bottom of many sites.
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