Are You Victims of Credit Fraud?
The
credit card business appears to be increasing at an unprecedented rate.
According to several statistical reports, the average American household has at
least one credit card.
Actually,
from the total respondents in the survey, 81% of the households have at least
one credit card.
This goes to prove that more and more people are lured to get their own credit
card. The motives for doing so are based on the fact that credit cards propose great
cashless shopping convenience.
For this
reason, every person seems to be motivated to get at least one credit card. I
am correct?
On the other hand, the struggles of the credit card industry do not end here.
This is because the reality that evolves on the credit cards does not just
depend on the way people utilize credit cards, but with the way on how they use
it and keep themselves.
What people do not recognize is that the method on how they use their credit
cards could seriously affect the way they live.
For example,
frauds and fraudulent activities are very rampant in the industry and the best targets
of the criminal are those who use credit cards every time they are keen on
shopping.
The public should pay attention that one of the most common credit card scams
in the society nowadays is the identity theft.
In fact,
it has been reported by the FBI that more or less 350,000 up to 500,000 cases
of identity theft are known to exist in the U.S. every single year.
Mainly, identity theft is when some crooked individual try to get various
information from you such as; your social security number and other relevant private
and financial data.
These sets of information are used fraudulently by these individual for their personal
benefits. Therefore, the poor victim does not realize that his identity was
stolen and that his financial future is doomed.
For this reason, it is important to know how to avoid getting into trouble.
Here is how:
1. Protect your personal data and any
financial information
Never entertain phone calls that oblige you to divulge any personal data or
information, even if the caller says he is from the bank that issued your
credit card and that the information gathering is just some sort of
verifications.
If this is the case, try to inform him that you wish to do the transactions
personally. That's why, it is very important to verify if the caller is really a
representative of the bank.
2. Stay away from freebies and offers
that involve credit cards
If you were offered with some promotions requiring you to give some personal
information, then, it would be better not to entertain the promo at all.
Things like these will only entice you to try it and at the end of the day, it
is too late to realize that you have just been a victim of an identity theft.
3. Have a regular check up on your
credit standing and bills
The majority of credit card holders are so lazy to do standard check ups on
their status. If you do this, it will be easier for you to notice any possible
identity theft case on your part.
Credit reports can definitely tell you if
there were purchases that you know that you did not make.
4. Do not carry them around
The common dilemma with some people is that, they tend to carry their cards
wherever they are. This is a bad habit that should be stopped.
You will never
know what will happen while you are in a public place, where identity theft
could just be lurking around, looking for its next target.
The main thing is that credit card users should be responsible enough not to
allow these fraudulent activities to happen.
Bear in mind that the reason why
these kinds of frauds exist is that there are people who are unconsciously
victimized every now and then.
If you have better ideas with regards Identity theft fraud kindly leave your comment here.
thanks for your time...
Labels: Credit Card Fraud, Safety and Security Tips
