Don't Get Taken to the Cleaners by Credit Card Fraud (cont.)
Contributed by Stephanie Litaker
When someone uses your credit card to get a cash advance, that's fraud. And the bottom line is this - credit card fraud has the potential to ruin your financial future and lead to a horrible credit history as well.
Every type of credit card offered by every credit card company is targeted by those wishing to commit credit card fraud, so don't think you're totally safe. Even if you only have department store credit cards, you are still a potential credit card fraud target. See, thieves don't care what credit card information they get, they just want it. It's not necessarily about quality, for thieves it's about quantity.
How you can avoid being a victim of credit card fraud
When you want to avoid something, you need to know what you're trying to avoid. There are some simple actions you can take to avoid making you and your personal information vulnerable to the ploys of credit thieves.
When you get credit card offers in the mail, don't just throw it away without opening it. You need to make sure you at least rip it in half, or better yet, put it through the paper shredder.
Also, if your internet service provider offers spyware blockers, use them. Computer hackers have no trouble getting your credit card information from your computer and using it for their own purposes.
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~ Stephanie Litaker
