The Money Coach
  • About
    • Meet Lynnette
    • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • QR Code
  • Books
  • Categories
  • Coaching
  • Hire Lynnette
  • Money Coach University™
  • The Money Coach Recommends™
No Result
View All Result
The Money Coach
  • About
    • Meet Lynnette
    • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • QR Code
No Result
View All Result
The Money Coach
No Result
View All Result

How Thieves Steal Credit Cards

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach
in Identity Theft
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Credit Card Security
8
SHARES
127
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

Paying with a credit card offers the ultimate in convenience when you’re taking care of all that holiday shopping, – particularly when Black Friday deals abound on the web and retailers are offering door-buster sales.

But using your credit card either online or offline could put you at risk for identity theft and fraud if you’re not careful.

And with identity theft impacting more than 10 million people in the U.S. each year, it’s important to make sure that all of your credit-card transactions are safe and protected.

Here are seven ways to protect yourself from credit card fraud this holiday season and year-round:

1. Be careful with auction sites and classified ads. Many cyber criminals post classified ads and auctions for products they don’t even have in an attempt to capture your credit card information. Be very cautious when providing credit card information directly to random sellers. Make sure your transactions are protected in some way so you can file a dispute if the transaction ends up being a scam.

2. Verify that you’re shopping on a secure site. Look for the “https” in front of any online store when you are ready to make a purchase. You always want to make sure you’re entering your credit card information on an encrypted site has layers of security.

3. Don’t click through emails. Many retailers send out special offers and discounts via email to lure shoppers to stores, or to make a purchase online. However, some of these can be part of a phishing scam, which means you could be clicking through to a fake site and handing over your credit card information to a scam artist. Unless you are 100% certain of the source of the email, be wary about email offers and consider visiting the store’s website without directly clicking through an email link.

4. Make sure your card returned to you. In the middle of a holiday rush, there’s a chance that the store clerk or cashier could end up accidentally (or intentionally) holding onto your credit card after you make a purchase. So before you leave a cash register or shopping counter always double-check to make sure you have taken your credit card with you. Even if the cashier does return it to you, try to avoid putting it on the counter while you’re doing other things, like tucking away a receipt or picking up heavy bags.

5. Review your monthly statements. If you use your credit card often, make sure you’re checking your monthly statement to ensure all transactions are posting correctly and accurately. Double check any debit card or check card transactions a few days after your purchase to make sure they are accurate. You also want to keep your eyes peeled for any unauthorized charges that might be posting to your account.

6. Don’t let your credit card get out of your sight. Some credit card thieves use a device called a ‘skimmer’ to capture credit card information as it’s being scanned at or near the point of sale register. Watch where the credit card is being scanned so it’s never out of your sight. And again, particularly after big shopping sprees, check your statements shortly after your purchases to detect any possible questionable or fraudulent charges.

7. Be careful with charity donations. The holidays are a special giving season, and that includes giving to non-profits, religious institutions and various charities. Many charitable organizations now accept credit card payments for donations, but you need to make sure you’re not handing over those digits to a con artist.

Make sure you’re dealing with a legitimate organization and website before you even think about putting the donation on your credit card. Don’t rely on emails to get you to the donation page, and consider approaching the charity directly and sending a check as a contribution instead.

Previous Post

Women and Personal Finance

Next Post

The Truth About Bankruptcy: It’s All Here – The Good and Bad

Related Posts

Identity Theft Victim What to Do Ask The Money Coach

Victim of Identity Theft? Here’s What to Do

by Guest Blogger

In 2017, 16.7 million people were victims of identity theft, suffering a record $16.8 billion in losses. Today, many of our standard transactions like banking, bill paying, and even shopping are online. The growth of online activity has increased convenience for consumers, but the continuous exchange of personal information online has likely...

Equifax Data Breach

How to Protect Your Credit After The Equifax Data Breach

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach

Scores of Americans are worried about the latest huge cyber hack in the U.S., an Equifax data breach that could impact up to 143 million consumers nationwide. Equifax, one of the country’s biggest credit bureaus, says cyber criminals hacked into its systems and gained unlawful access to people’s Social Security...

Equifax Hack

The Equifax Hack: What Equifax Got Right and Wrong Amid Data Breach

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach

Equifax, one the nation’s largest credit reporting agencies, suffered a massive data breach that affected up to 143 million Americans – nearly half the population in the United States. Here’s a look at both sides, in the hopes that Equifax and other organizations will learn some do’s and don’ts when...

How to Keep Hackers From Ruining Your Financial Life

How to Keep Hackers From Ruining Your Financial Life

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach

Hackers have victimized tens of millions of Americans lately by stealing personal information ranging from credit card accounts to Social Security numbers. With such information, a hacker or identity thief can open new loans or accounts in your name, file a fraudulent tax return, or even empty your bank accounts...

phishing scams

Watch Out for Tax-Related Phishing Scams

by Guest Blogger

Just because your tax return has been filed and any refund may have already been spent or tucked away in savings, that doesn’t mean thieves are done trying to get their hands on your data or your cash. This is the time of year when identity thieves are on the...

filed taxes in your name

Did Someone Use Your Social Security Number to File Taxes? Here’s What to do

by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach

The IRS says that millions of people have become victims of con artists that have used the victim's social security numbers to file taxes. Once the scammers file taxes, they turn around and collect tax refunds from the government. Meanwhile, not only has the victim's identity been stolen, they are...

How to Safeguard Your Tax Refund and Your Credit From Identity Theft

by Guest Blogger

Imagine filing your federal taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, only to have your tax return rejected because some crook has already used your Social Security number and claimed a bogus tax refund. All of a sudden you face an IRS nightmare. You must prove your identity to the feds....

Load More

Popular Posts

  • Car repair

    What to Do If You Can’t Afford a Car Repair Bill

    1369 shares
    Share 548 Tweet 342
  • What to Do if Your Spouse Stole Money From You

    1159 shares
    Share 464 Tweet 290
  • What to Do If You Can’t Afford to Leave Your Spouse

    1096 shares
    Share 438 Tweet 274
  • Here’s Why I Pay My Kids For Good Grades (And Maybe You Should Too)

    999 shares
    Share 399 Tweet 250
  • What Do All Those Strange Codes In My Credit Report Mean?

    808 shares
    Share 323 Tweet 202
  • Do This Now If Your Wages Were Not Reported

    736 shares
    Share 294 Tweet 184
  • How to Find Out if a Debt Collector is Licensed to Collect Your Debt

    713 shares
    Share 285 Tweet 178

All information on this blog is for educational purposes only. Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach, is not a certified financial planner, registered investment adviser, or attorney. If you need specialty financial, investment or legal advice, please consult the appropriate professional. Advertising Disclosure: This site may accept advertising, affiliate payments or other forms of compensation from companies mentioned in articles. This compensation may impact how and where products and companies appear on this site. AskTheMoneyCoach™ and Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach® are trademarks of TheMoneyCoach.net, LLC.

©2009-2023 TheMoneyCoach.net, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

RSS / Sitemap /Submit an Article / Privacy Policy / LynnetteKhalfaniCox.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Books
  • Categories
  • Contact Lynnette
  • Get Coaching
  • Hire Lynnette
  • Money Coach University™
  • The Money Coach Recommends™
  • Home
  • Subscribe to Newsletter
  • QR Code

©2009-2021 TheMoneyCoach.net, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist