Imagine the following situations:
- Someone rummages through your rubbish to find discarded invoices and then uses your account numbers illegally.
- A shop keeper keeps a copy of your debit or credit card and then uses it to pay for other transactions.
- A mailing asks that you call a long distance number to claim a free prize. You are told to provide your account number to enroll. You do so and are charged for transactions you never made.
Fraud on credit cards is a massive industry costing consumers and card companies hundreds of millions of pounds annually. It is a form of theft that is much more discrete than traditional theft. Although it is hard to totally stop card fraud from happening, there are steps you can take to minimize your chances of becoming a victim.
Guard Against Crime
These are some tips you can take to help protect yourself from card crime.
Do:
- Sign the back of your cards as quickly as they arrive.
Carry your cards separately from your wallet. - Keep your account numbers, expiry dates and company phone numbers and addresses in a safe place.
- Watch your card although it is out of your sight in a exchange and attempt to get it back fast.
- Destroy wrong receipts and all carbons.
- Compare invoices with your monthly billing statements.
- Open your debts and reconcile your account monthly.
- Report dodgy activity or charges smartly and in writing to your card company.
- Notify your card issuer ahead of a change of address.
Don’t:
- Lend your card to any person.
- Leave your cards or your invoices lying around where others might find them.
- Sign blank receipts. If there are blank spaces on an invoice, draw a line through them.
- Write your account number on the exterior of an envelope or on a postcard.
- Give your account number over the phone, unless you have made a call to a company you have faith in. If you have got a question about an enterprise look at it with your local patron protection office.
Report Losses and Fraud
If your card is stolen or lost, report this straight away to the issuer immediately. Many firms have free emergency numbers especially for such calls. By law, you haven't any further accountability for unauthorized charges after you have reported it. Calling quickly will reduce your culpability for unapproved charges, and will help the card company to catch the fraudster or block the transactions, making life tougher for the crooks.
Learn the steps I used to repair my credit.
Visit us to read our Lifelock review and learn how they can protect your identity. You can also check out our peer lending service reviews.
Tags: Credit Card fraud, credit cards, identity theft, security
