With increasing frequency and intensity it’s happening and your credit is at risk. The attacks are getting more and more sophisticated and the thieves are becoming more widespread. They are working hard to stay a step ahead of law enforcement and they are largely successful. Your money, your credit, and your identity are at risk of being compromised by online credit card theft.

Did you know that more than 15 million people per year are victims of identity theft? Did you know that it takes an average of 600 hours of work for you to recover from identity theft? Did you know that online credit card theft costs our nation 500 million per year?

It’s clear that your identity and credit are at risk and the only way to protect it is to take actions on your own part. Here are five ways that will help you not fall victim to online credit card theft:

• Only buy from companies with an actual mailing address- Websites come and go all the time and because of that, it is very easy for a scam to be executed and your money stolen and the website shut down very quickly. Businesses that sell merchandise have addresses. You should also verify this address.

 

• Enter your credit card number in to secure websites only- Secure websites always start with HTTPS rather than HTTP. Your internet browser will also have a picture of a lock or some other graphic that will show you that you are in a secure environment.

 

• Say no to work at home schemes- A lot of people are looking for work at home, get rich quick schemes and they are willing to give their credit card number to anybody promising quick riches. Online credit card theft often happens on the websites of thieves playing to the emotions of the average person.

 

• Don’t give your credit card information as a response to an e-mail. No company will ask you to provide your credit card number through an e-mail. If a company e-mails you pointing you to a website to pay for something and it could be legitimate, don’t click on the link. Instead, go to the website and log in to your account.

 

• Get an online identity theft prevention service. Online credit card theft can be prevented by paying a small monthly fee for identity monitoring. A company that you know and trust like Equifax is the perfect place to get this service. For as low as $9.95 per month, they will lock your credit file, detect fraudulent activity, and most important, give you 1 million dollars in identify theft insurance. On the Equifax link below to learn more.

The thieves are going to keep attacking and you may be next. At the very least, an attack would be less than convenient. At worst, it may wipe out your child’s college savings that you have contributed to for years or your retirement money. It’s easy to prevent by enrolling in a protection service like Equifax.