NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–Drawing from her experiences battling scams of various kinds, Melissa Mitchell, director of loss prevention at LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, offers these tips to credit card holders:
1. Keep an eye on your card during all transactions and get it back as quickly as possible.
2. Draw a line through any blank spaces above the total when you sign.
3. Never discard transaction slips, which display the card number.
4. Don’t lend your card to anyone, even to a friend. Your credit privilege and history are too precious to risk.
5. Watch your credit card slip being filled out — and make sure it’s not passed through the machine more than once. Ask for your carbons.
6. Destroy every credit card that’s out of date. Cut it in half. Throw it away. Get rid of it.
7. Make a list of your major credit cards, their account numbers and the phone numbers to call if cards are lost.
8. Never leave your card where the details can be copied by anyone.
9. When using your card in a bank machine, make sure you’ve memorized the access number — NEVER write in down. Those that do write it down, always keep it in their wallet. If the wallet is stolen or lost, their card and access number are now vulnerable.
10. Don’t leave your credit cards in your car. Many cards are stolen this way.
11. Check your wallet occasionally to make sure you haven’t lost any credit cards. Report lost cards immediately. Most card frauds occur within hours.
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