27 Mar How to Avoid Credit Card Fraud
You have credit cards and you use them very often, but do you know anything about credit card fraud? You probably heard about it, but it never happened to you, so you didn’t bother learning more about it. *Here goes buzzer sound* Wrong! It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere! If you don’t want to be someone among those “anyone,” you need to learn how to protect your financial information. Having your credit information misused, can harm you in different ways, from losing money, to wake up as owner of new accounts that you don’t recognize. Even though financial identity theft is different from credit card fraud, they share some similarities. Baby Boomers Financial gathered for you few simple ways that can help you to avoid credit card fraud. Check them out!
How to Avoid Credit Card Fraud
Protect Your Physical Cards
This is a no-brainer, but it always worth to mention it. You have to always keep your credit cards safe from physical theft. Also make sure that you don’t keep the cards together with your PIN. You just make it easier for potential thieves.
Read our relevant blog post: “Financial Identity Theft: How to Stay Safe.”
Report Your Stolen or Lost Cards Immediately
Even though you’re taking precautions, accidents happen, and your cards may get stolen or lost. Make sure to report any loss immediately, and of course the cards, so whoever got them, he cannot use them.
Be Careful with Documents
Did you know that some of the most common credit card scams can be found in your trash? Potential thieves may be digging in your trash for bank transactions, receipts etc., and that’s how they get access in your accounts. It’s recommended to shred these kind of documents, before throwing them away.
Stay Safe Online
Even though online payments can be secure, they can also be dangerous. Make sure that you always purchase from reputable sites, and never, like NEVER, share your PIN. No respectable website will ever ask for this information. Also, be careful with email scams, and don’t click at anything that doesn’t seem legitimate, or too good to be true.
Be Aware of Phone Scams
Some scams attempt credit card fraud, by posing as creditors via phone, and they will try trick you into routine update of their data. They will ask your name, credit card number, date of birth etc., and then they will try to generate the information, to access your account. No bank will ever do that through a phone call.
Credit card fraud is a very unpleasant situation, and it can cause big damage. It’s important that you know how to protect yourself, and therefore your money, at all times.
If you are safe and theft free, or there are suspicious listings in your credit report that you want to dispute, Baby Boomers Financial can help. We are a reliable, reputable credit repair company, that can help you to remove or correct negative items and errors in your report. Give us a call, and let’s chat about it.