Keeping Watch Over Your Credit Cards

As you probably know, this past year, many Target customers had their Target credit or debit card information stolen due to a security breach.  Target asked customers to report any unauthorized card expenses to them so they could reimburse their customers for these charges, and the company provided one free year of credit report monitoring to any customer who wanted to sign up. 

It looks like a similar security breach may have occurred recently at the DMV.  The DMV is now investigating the situation.  (For more information, visit kpcc.org’s website at: http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2014/03/24/36614/dmv-investigating-possible-credit-card-data-breach/)

Since this seems to happen frequently, what are some things you can do?  First, monitor your credit.  Annualcreditreport.com can provide you with one free credit report per year.  Be sure to review your report annually and check for anything inaccurate.  If you see any errors, report them to the credit bureau to ensure they are corrected.  Second, consider signing up for an ID theft monitoring service.  For a small monthly fee, these companies will alert you immediately if something occurs that might be due to identity theft.  Third, be diligent about protecting your credit card information: destroy unused or unwanted cards, don’t leave cards in vehicles where they can be stolen, and don’t provide card numbers to any companies who call you or email you unless you know what the transaction is for.  Lastly, ensure you have a method for paying for things in case your card information does get stolen.   It happens far too frequently to not have a back-up plan.