Smart Borrower's Guide
Using Your Card Safely
These tips are important and universal:
1. Sign your card - as soon as you receive it!
2. When you use your card at an ATM, enter your PIN in such a way that no one can easily memorize your keystrokes.
3. Don''t leave your receipt behind at the ATM. Your PIN and account number from a discarded receipt could make you vulnerable to credit-card fraud. Also, don''t throw out your credit-card statement, receipts or carbons without first shredding them!
4. Never give your credit-card number over the telephone. Never give your card number out over a cordless phone even if it’s a legitamate merchant. Common scams occur when negligent actions such as giving your card number over the phone happen on a regular basis.
5. Ignore any credit-card offer that requires you to spend money up-front or fails to disclose the identity of the card issuer.
6. Make certain you get your card back after you make a purchase (one habit to observe is to leave your wallet open in your hand until you have the card back). Also, make sure that you personally rip up any voided or cancelled sales slips.
7. Always keep a list of your credit cards, credit-card numbers and toll-free numbers in case your card is stolen or lost.
8. Check your monthly statement to make certain all charges are your own, and immediately notify the card issuer of any errors or unauthorized charges.