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May 16th, 2007
In today’s internet day and age fraud is becoming a bigger and bigger problem. People will look for anyway possible in order to get information from you. It is unfortunate, but you can take steps to insure that you will not be at risk.
Steps to Avoid Credit Fraud
To avoid credit card fraud you should follow these simple steps:
- Sign the back of your credit card, do not leave it blank!
- If you do not want to sign the back of your card, write “See I.D.” so they know to check your I.D.
- Make sure you get your card back after a transaction
- Save your receipts so you can compare them with bills
- Don’t give out your account number
- Don’t leave your credit card lying around
- Don’t loan your credit card to anyone
- Find a safe place for your receipts or destroy them, don’t leave them out in the open.
Following those simple steps can help you avoid credit card fraud. Identity theft can also cause credit card fraud.
Fighting those Fraudulent Charges
If you are a victim it is most likely your credit score is going to take a major hit. There are steps you can take to fight fraudulent charges on your credit report:
- Call the major credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your credit account.
- Close all accounts that have been victim of fraud
- File an identity theft/credit fraud report with the FTC.
Getting a hold of the major credit bureaus is the most important thing you can do. Once a fraud claim is up your credit will be harder to access. You can not be held liable for fraudulent negative marks on your credit report. If you dispute them they will get taken off. Go through the process of fighting identity theft and repairing your credit and you should be able to fight fraud.
It may seem like a pain at first, but fighting will be the least of your worries. The most important thing to do is to make sure you repair all the damage done by fraud. Because it can happen, just be prepared to make it go away.
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