Full Notification

Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in America today. The FTC reports that one in every ten people will be a victim of Identity Theft this year.

One form of Identity Theft is called credit card skimming. Credit card skimming is a way for criminals to obtain your credit card information and store it on a special storage device to be used later for fraudulent purposes.

All an identity thief has to do to have access to your card is to swipe the card through the skimmer just like you swipe it though the machine at the grocery store. It requires a minimal amount of technology and all the items required to make a skimmer can be bought at radio shack or on the internet. The criminals can use the information themselves or sell it to other criminals all over the country or the world.

Protection

Be aware of your surroundings.
Only use your debit or credit card in places that you are familiar and comfortable with.
Use the ATM inside the bank.
Check out the machine. If it doesn’t look right don’t take a chance. Notify management and law enforcement.
Use cash more often than credit cards.
Treat your credit card like gold.
Check your accounts on a daily basis.
If you notice a fraudulent charge you should notify law enforcement and close accounts before the fraudulent activity gets out of control.
When investigating credit card fraud, it is beneficial to law enforcement if the first point of compromise can be found. These investigations can be lengthy and often involve several jurisdictions and states. The sooner you can catch the fraudulent activity the better.