| Imagine the following situations: | | | | Destroy incorrect receipts and all carbons. |
| Someone rummages through your rubbish to find | | | | Compare receipts with your monthly billing statements. |
| discarded receipts and then uses your account | | | | Open your bills and reconcile your account monthly. |
| numbers illegally. | | | | Report suspicious activity or charges promptly and in |
| A shop keeper keeps a copy of your credit or debit | | | | writing to your card issuer. |
| card and then uses it to pay for other transactions. | | | | Notify your card issuer in advance of a change of |
| A mailing asks you to call a long distance number to | | | | address. |
| claim a free prize. You are told to provide your | | | | Don't: |
| account number to sign up. You do so and are billed | | | | Lend your card to anyone. |
| for transactions you never made. | | | | Leave your cards or your receipts lying around where |
| Credit and charge card fraud is a huge industry costing | | | | others might find them. |
| consumers and card issuers hundreds of millions of | | | | Sign blank receipts. If there are blank spaces on a |
| pounds each year. It is a form of theft that is much | | | | receipt, draw a line through them. |
| more discrete than traditional robbery. While it is difficult | | | | Write your account number on the outside of an |
| to completely prevent card fraud from occurring, there | | | | envelope or on a postcard. |
| are steps you can take to minimize your chances of | | | | Give your account number over the phone, unless you |
| becoming a victim. | | | | have made a call to a company you trust. If you have |
| Guard Against Fraud | | | | a question regarding a company, check it out with your |
| Here are some tips you can take to help protect | | | | local consumer protection office. |
| yourself from card fraud. | | | | Report Losses and Fraud |
| Do: | | | | If your card is stolen or lost, report this immediately to |
| Sign the back of your cards as soon as they arrive. | | | | the issuer immediately. Many companies have free |
| Carry your cards separately from your wallet. | | | | emergency numbers specifically for such calls. By law, |
| Keep your account numbers, expiry dates and | | | | you have no further responsibility for unauthorized |
| company phone numbers and addresses in a safe | | | | charges once you have reported it. Calling quickly will |
| place. | | | | reduce your liability for unauthorised charges, and will |
| Watch your card while it is out of your sight during a | | | | help the card issuer to catch the fraudster or block the |
| transaction and seek to get it back quickly. | | | | transactions, making life harder for the crooks. |