WASHINGTON — Tis the season for shopping. It’s also the season for credit card fraud.
Thieves are working overtime this time of year to steal your credit card information, hoping you’re too busy to notice your credit card has been compromised.
Thieves keep upping their game, coming up with devices that are smaller and harder to detect.
Bankrate.com reports thieves like to steal credit card information from the places you like to go — like your favorite restaurant, store or gas station, for instance.
At the gas station, there might be a skimmer over the credit card reader on the gas pump. And as you pass your credit card through the reader, via a Bluetooth signal, your credit card data is being sent to a nearly laptop. The thief takes and sells the data to other thieves, according to Bankrate.
Then your information is used to set up new credit cards that are in your name but used by someone else.
Some tips on how to protecting yourself: set up mobile banking alerts on your smart phone to stay on top of any suspicious activity; get into the habit of monitoring your accounts regularly; and when using a card reader, if you’re paying for something or making a cash withdrawal, take a close look at the card reader to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with.
Also, Bankrate.com urges you to talk to your credit card company about other fraud protection ideas. By taking a little extra time and effort now, you can end up saving yourself a lot of financial heartache later.
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