The content is accurate at the time of publication and is subject to change.

People make a lot of transactions using credit cards. It is more convenient than handing over cash and carry them around. It can be done almost anywhere. You can swipe it in department stores, in restaurants, and even do transactions over the phone. But one thing people should be careful about is credit card fraud. If people are not careful, they might find themselves incurring several charges that they did not make or permit anybody else to do. So, you should be aware on how these things happen so you can protect yourself.

What are counterfeit cards?

Counterfeit cards are credit cards that are forged. What people do is, they steal financial information and link the card to it. So meaning, they will make a fake credit card but link an existing and active credit account to it. It will appear very real that when they use it in stores, it would seem that they used the real one. Shops do not have the skills to see the difference between counterfeit credit cards and real ones and it would take enforcers to be able to notice it.

Someone stole my purse, what is the first thing that I need to do to protect myself from fraud?

Call your credit card provider and alert them that you were involved in a theft and ask them to monitor your accounts or maybe temporarily deactivate them so the robbers can not make transactions out of it. Also, inform the credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on you because of the incident. They will help you monitor all of the companies you are affiliated with and track if there has been fraudulent activities already. This way, you are able to take control of your finances and protect yourself from damages.

Should I keep my receipts whenever I make transactions?

Keeping your receipts will really help you in monitoring your credit card. You should also make a file for your statements since this will be your evidence if you have an unauthorized transaction. Sometimes, your credit card receipts will show your full credit card number so make sure you keep them or shred them if you plan to throw them away because if you were not able to do so, people can just dig in to your garbage and find the information there. This also goes for documents containing personal and confidential information. Shred them before throwing.

Disclaimer: This editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer(s). Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of the credit card issuer(s), and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer(s). Reasonable efforts are made to present accurate information, however all information is presented without warranty. Consult a card's issuing bank for the terms & conditions.
All rates and fees, and other terms and conditions of the products mentioned in this article/post are actual as of the last update date but are subject to change. See the current products' Terms & Conditions on the issuing banks' websites.