Credit Card Fraud & Identity Theft

What is identity theft, and why should you be worried about it? Be knowledgeable so this won’t happen to you.

One important reason to stay up to date with your credit information is identity theft. In the internet age, this has become an epidemic. We’re going to discuss a few ways to check for and eliminate identity theft.

You can have your credit card company call you if there are any charges that seem out of character. This is the way most people find out about identity theft in the first place. If your wallet is stolen, cancel the card immediately. Even a lost cell phone can run up a bill on your credit. These are more difficult to dispute as well. Never give your information to anyone. You just never know.

Online shopping is fine if the site is secure. PayPal and other sites spend a ton of money on security just for that reason. Nobody from their company or any other company should ever ask for your credit card number. They don’t need your account number to give you information. This is an obvious sign of a scam. Email fishing scams are another way they get you.

If you find that you’re a victim of fraud, one recourse is to freeze your credit reporting account. You have to be able to verify the fraud before this can occur. The freeze stops anyone from being able to use your credit or make inquiries. You can’t even access it without the proper password. This isn’t foolproof and there are some fees involved. If someone steals your identity, there are ways around credit bureaus. In this case, a freeze will be useless.

You can also place a fraud alert on your credit report before anything goes wrong. This is a great way to be proactive. Don’t wait for the worst to happen before you take security measures. Your credit rating is your livelihood in this day and age.

For additional information on credit cards or related topics please visit our library of credit card articles.