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We have heard all about credit card fraud and how important it is to be cautious when giving away your credit card information. Yet, there still are people who become victims of credit card fraud each year. Have the people gone lax with taking the necessary precaution or are some people getting better at credit card fraud, to the point of becoming experts? Always remember that credit card fraud can be prevented.

Step 1

Remember that this is your credit card nobody else is supposed to use it. You will pay for whatever purchase was done using that credit card so it is very important that you guard your credit card and sensitive documents that go along with it.

Step 2

Keep your numbers confidential. Don’t mindlessly leave pieces of paper containing your credit card number and pin lying around. If you have old credit card bills and receipts, cut off the portion that contains your credit card number and personal information and let them have a short trip with the paper shredder or cut them into small unreadable pieces. You don’t want somebody getting hold of that information. Who knows what they would do!

Step 3

Ok, you might not leave papers containing your credit card information around. Do not ever tell telemarketers your credit card number over the phone, they might be impostors.

Step 4

Once you receive your new credit card, you should immediately put your signature at the back of the credit card and put it on your wallet. Get your expired credit card and cut them up, you don’t want to clutter your wallet with unnecessary things.

Step 5

When you pay a purchase, observe the cashier. Is s/he doing something that isn’t normal? When you sign, make sure that the correct amount is reflected on the charge slip. Before leaving, you should check if she returned your credit card.

Step 6

Keep your receipts so that when your statement will arrive, you can carefully check if there was a mistake in your statement and you can immediately complain or make a dispute. You don’t want to spend for something that you did not purchase. Also, you want to spot problems immediately. Don’t let a lot of time lapse before you discover something wrong.

Step 7

File your statements for quick reference. Put them in a safe place, don’t leave them lying around and forget about them. This is a part of your financial life. You should also take care of its documents.

Step 8

When you close an account, or if statements are more than a year old, you can start shredding them. They don’t have a use anymore.

Step 9

If you just had a change of address, you should notify the card issuer so that statements will not be mailed to your old mailing address.

Step 10

If you notice that your credit card is missing, try to look for it. Immediately inform your card issuer that your credit card is stolen or lost. Be ready to provide relevant information about your credit card. This is when your old credit cards statements might sometimes come in handy.

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