As we head into the holiday season, financial stress grows for many families. That stress over money also increases for thieves who look for ways to target the shopping season.
Online shopping has become a common and simple way for people to get gifts for others, but it can also increase your chance of becoming a victim of credit fraud. If you’re clicking “purchase” on multiple items, it can become easy to lose track of exactly what you’ve bought and how much should be in your account. Thieves use that to their advantage by adding in a purchase or two of their own, hoping you won’t notice.
Just keeping track of the location of your debit or credit cards is also not enough in 2017. The technology thieves use is advanced enough to allow them to make a duplicate of your credit card, all while the original card stays in your wallet or purse.
Here are a few tips make sure your bank account isn’t used for someone else’s purchases:
- Closely monitor your credit and debit card statements
- Check websites and make sure they’re legitimate before you order
- Change your pin numbers periodically and don’t make them obvious
- Set up alerts with your bank for abnormal purchases
If you see unfamiliar charges on your credit card statement, alert your bank as soon as possible, so it can put a freeze on your account to prevent further spending.
These tips aren’t foolproof, but taking the additional steps to protect yourself can help prevent an unnecessary headache.