Credit Card Fraud

Credit card fraud costs billions of dollars each year in the United States. Consumers like you pay for the fraud through higher finance charges and annual fees.

To protect yourself against credit card fraud, follow these tips:

• Sign your credit cards as soon as they arrive.
• Keep a list of your credit card numbers in a secure place. Include the expiration date, toll-free phone number and address of each card’s issuer. When you travel, carry a copy of the list in a safe place.
• Memorize your PIN number. Don’t keep your PIN with your credit card.
• Don’t give your credit card number to anyone who calls you on the phone who you don’t know.
• Never send your credit card number by email.
  If you’re shopping online, only provide your credit card number through a secure Web site.
• When you use your credit card at a store or restaurant, always get it back promptly.
  In public, try to shield your card from view to prevent someone from snapping a quick photo of it with a phone or other electronic device.
• Check your balance.
  Go online regularly, using your bank’s secure website or app, to check your account balance. Be on the lookout for errors, or charges you don’t recognize.
• Check your credit card receipts.
  Under North Carolina law the copy you get of any electronically printed credit card receipt should not include more than five digits of your credit card number. If you get a receipt that includes your entire credit card number, report it to the Attorney General’s Office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
• Destroy any carbon credit card receipts.
  These aren’t printed electronically and may include your entire number.
• Shred pre-approved credit card applications before you throw them away to keep identity thieves from taking out a credit card in your name.
• Opt out of getting credit card offers in the mail by calling 1-888-567-8688 (1-888-5OPT-OUT) or visiting www.optoutprescreen.com. You’ll be asked to provide some personal information such as name, address and Social Security Number, but that information will be used only to process your request.
• If you have a credit card that you don’t use, destroy it immediately.
• Report lost or stolen credit cards as soon as possible.
  Note the date, time and person to whom you reported the loss or theft. Once you report the loss or theft, you are not responsible for charges you didn’t authorize. Your maximum liability under federal law is $50 per card.
• If you suspect credit card fraud, report it to your credit card company right away.
  You may be asked to sign a statement under oath that you did not make the purchase(s) in question.

We Can Help

Contact us toll free within North Carolina at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.