Credit card fraud is a rising problem in the United States. According to bankrate.com, 10% of Americans have been the victim of credit card fraud. Although we see headline-grabbing news stories about huge numbers of Social Security Numbers or credit card numbers stolen from businesses, the majority of fraud is perpetrated individually, often by family members or friends of the victim. That's why protecting yourself is so critical.



The biggest step you can take toward your own credit security is to pay attention. Do you know when your monthly statements arrive? If not, find out. One very common trick is for a thief to change the statement address to something other than your home, and then start charging. If you don't check what's happening in between statements you won't know that things are going on with your account. And if you don't even know when it's supposed to arrive, you're just setting yourself up for trouble. Read your statement when it comes and immediately report anything suspicious to your bank or lender.

Online security is important, too. Never access even a trusted website from a link in an unsolicited e-mail. These can be "mirror" sites set up to look identical to a trusted merchant's, but in reality nothing more than data-mining sites that will take your credit card information and run with it. Go to a website through a Favorite or by typing the website manually into the address bar in your browser.

A secure website will often begin with "https" rather than the standard "http". You'll often see a small icon that looks like a padlock down near the bottom of your browser window—though even those can be faked these days. Once you have finished shopping online you should close the internet browser down fully. And consider cleaning out your browsing history on a regular basis. In Windows, this can be done via Tools, then Internet Options. In the General tab, click Delete in the Browsing History section to eliminate the addresses of recently-visited websites.

The golden rule to remember is under no circumstances should you reply to an unsolicited e-mail or phone call that asks for personal information. Banks and other merchants never request this information—remember, they should already have it on hand.

Protect your Personally Identifiable Information, or PII. NEVER give out your Social Security Number to an unsolicited phone call! If someone is asking for personal information and you didn't call them you should hang up immediately.

You should contact your credit card issuer the moment you think you may be a fraud victim. Their number should be on your statement (which you've been checking every month of course?), but it's a good idea to keep it in your address book, Day Planner, or PDA, as well. Your card issue needs to cancel your account with immediate effect and then set you up with a new account with the correct balance. You will likely have some forms to fill out. The information you provide can be critical to help the police and the fraud department of your credit card company locate and prosecute the thief, so be sure to take the time to return the forms.

Keep your card in a safe location (your wallet is generally a bad idea), never give out your PIN number or write it on the card, and check your statements every months. With a few simple precautions you can greatly reduce your risk of becoming a victim of credit card fraud.