Avoid the Campus Credit Card Trap
If you are thinking about filling an application for one of `easy` credit cards found at a campus? Read this article before doing it. A free Frisbee, T-shirt or a bottle of soda isn`t worth years of bad credit, is it? Read more... 
It sounds like a no-brainer. You receive your credit card in the mail, along with a note that tells you, among other things, to sign the back of your credit card immediately. Lately, people have seriously questioned this course of action, pointing out that if your card is stolen, a thief then has a perfect copy of your signature to duplicate. Instead, say many, in the space for your signature on a credit card, you should write 'Ask for Photo I.D.'
Credit Score - The FICO Score
Your credit score is a value that shows an estimation of creditworthiness calculated according to special statistical models. A credit score quantifies the possibility that a borrower will fail to pay a loan or credit card debt. Credit score is based on the information in your credit report. Read more... It sounds like good advice. But what do the experts have to say? According to all three major credit card companies - Visa, Master Card and American Express, the answer is - sign your credit card immediately. In fact, all of them have rules that prohibit merchants from accepting credit cards that don't have a valid signature. Visa states that a merchant may not complete a transaction UNTIL the card is signed.
Bottom line on the question of whether to sign your credit card, then, is yes, you absolutely SHOULD sign your credit card as soon as you get it. But what about other security measures you can take to guard against credit card fraud? Here are five security tips to help you safeguard your credit card security:
Credit Bureau - Credit Report
Firs of the most important steps to good credit history is ordering your credit report once a year and knowing your credit reporting rights. The federal FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act) as well as state laws restrict the access to your credit records. Read more... 1. Never give your credit card number to someone that calls you on the telephone. If the caller purports to be from a company that you do business with, or from the credit card company itself, tell them that you'll call them back at the number that YOU have for the company. That way you'll know that the person you're speaking with is legitimate. If they demur at all, hang up immediately and call your credit card company's fraud line with any details of the call.
2. Ditto for any email you receive asking you to 'verify' details for your credit card info by clicking on a link in the email to take you to a verification page. If it's a company with which you do business - PayPal for instance - open a new browser window and type in the URL to the legitimate site by hand.
How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud
The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act determines it to be a federal crime when someone “knowingly transfers or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable state or local law.” An id thief steals some of your personal information and uses it without your knowledge and to open a credit card account in your name. Read more... 3. Keep a separate low credit limit credit card for paying online - or use a credit card company that will provide one-time verification numbers. That way if your credit card security is compromised, you're losses are limited by the amount available on the card. Or - use a debit card that you keep just for online purchases the same way.
4. Reconcile your credit card bill every month just as you would your checking account. Go over the bill with your receipts, and report any charges for which you don't have a receipt or don't recognize.
Credit Cards: History and Controversy
Credit card was the successor of a different merchant`s schemes of credit. It was introduced in 1920s, in America, to sell gasoline to an increasing number of car owners. In 1938 several fuel companies started to accept each other`s cards. Read more... 5. If you have the option, register all your credit cards with a credit card registration service. In any case, write down all of your credit card numbers, expiration dates and contact telephone numbers for each card and keep it in a safe place. If your wallet and credit cards are ever stolen, you'll have a handy reference to make sure that you don't miss anyone when you're calling to report your credit cards stolen.
Credit card counseling
Want to get out of your credit card debt? That`s a good time to go to credit card counseling in order to find out what you have to do to get out of it. You can try to do it on your own, then make a plan and stick to it. Read more... |
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