| A recent Unisys study found that, in the midst of the | | | | form of identity theft, though I've always viewed it as |
| global financial crisis, American's primary fear is credit | | | | simple credit card fraud. |
| and debit card fraud. 68% of those surveyed are | | | | 1. Protecting yourself from account takeover is |
| extremely or very concerned about the security of | | | | relatively easy. Simply pay attention to your |
| their credit or debit card data, and 66% are extremely | | | | statements every month and refute unauthorized |
| or very concerned about identity theft. | | | | charges immediately. I check my charges online once |
| Compare that to 58% who are extremely or very | | | | every two weeks. If I'm traveling extensively, especially |
| concerned about terrorism and war, and 41% who | | | | out of the country, I let the credit card company know |
| fear the possibility of a serious health epidemic. If we | | | | ahead of time, so they won't shut down my card while |
| actually had a pandemic, I'm sure the public would | | | | I'm on the road. |
| favor health concerns over money. But so be it. | | | | 2. Protecting yourself from new account fraud requires |
| Credit card fraud comes in two different flavors: | | | | more effort. You can attempt to protect your own |
| account takeover and new account fraud. Account | | | | identity, by getting yourself a credit freeze, or setting |
| takeover occurs when an identity thief gains access | | | | up your own fraud alerts. There are pros and cons to |
| to your credit or debit card number through criminal | | | | each. |
| hacking, dumpster diving, ATM skimming, or perhaps | | | | 3. Invest in Identity Theft Protection. Because when all |
| when you hand it over to pay at a store or restaurant. | | | | else fails you'll have someone watching your back. |
| Technically, account takeover is the most prevalent | | | | |