To decrease the possible damage of an attacker gaining access to your credit card information, consider opening a credit card account for use only online. Maintain a minimum credit line on the account to limit the amount of charges a possible attacker can amass against you.

If your card gets declined and there’s no reason it should have, there’s a chance someone has stolen your identity and is racking up debt under your name. Look into any outstanding bills to ensure they are all yours. To be extra cautious, freeze your credit temporarily while you investigate.

It’s important to always look out for fraud on your credit or debit card purchases. Even if no one has stolen your physical card, there are ways they can use the number. If you don’t want to take the time to review your purchases frequently, you can instead opt for text or email notifications whenever […]

E-commerce sites are typically well-protected from attacks. However, you can further reduce your risk by paying with credit, or with a gift/prepaid card, instead of debit. That way, you have more protections from identity theft and no prospect of your bank account being cleaned out if your card number is stolen.

If you buy something online, the vendor should send tracking information as soon as the item is shipped. If it’s been a few days outside of their shipping window, try contacting the vendor to see what the delay is. If you don’t hear anything back, it’s possible that it was a fraudulent organization, and it […]

When paying with a credit card, the vendor does not receive direct access to your money. Instead, they receive money from your bank, and then the bank bills you at the end of the month. This protects your money from fraudulent vendors and individuals who get their hands on your credit card information.