You probably use your debit or credit card every day. Our credit cards are offer convenience and safety, but at they same time they can lead to costly problems. About 2 million Americans each year are victims of credit card fraud. There are simple steps you can take to prevent losing your hard earned money.
Only Use Sites With Proper Payment Gateway Integration
Americans spend millions of dollars shopping online. After clicking the buy button it can be easy to forget that your credit card information is being transmitted. The smoother a websites payment gateway integration is, the more likely it is legitimate. If you are being redirected to several pages before you are asked to input your credit card information, it could be a scam. It is important to make sure that any website that you use your credit card has proper credit card authorization protocol. Most reputable websites have credit card merchant processing services. By doing a web search you can see if a website is in PCI compliance.
Preventing Theft at the ATM
Several criminals are lying in wait for you when you are entering your PIN number at an ATM or at a checkout. Keeping ATM placement in mind is important when taking out money. Try to only use ATMs that are positioned so that nobody can look over your shoulder with out you knowing. If you are using your debit card at a check out make sure to cover up the numerical pad, it only takes a thief a glance. By paying attention to your surroundings you can prevent being a victim of theft.
Insure that All Financial Documents are Properly Shredded
Thieves are able to get information from the smallest bit of information. While you may not think much about the bills and other financial documents you receive in the mail, it can mean a big payday for would-be thieves. Make sure that you are keeping track of all financial documents, including credit statements, bills and any canceled checks. Many banks and credit card companies offer paperless services which eliminate hard copies of bills and banking statements.
Regularly Check Your Credit Statement
The best tool the consumer has to combat fraud is your credit report. By regularly checking your credit report you can be able to catch irregularities. There are also credit monitoring services which can alert you to suspicious changes.