No Need To Panic!
I’ve realized that many organizing tips can be applied to anything that happens to us in life. Just having had one of my credit card numbers stolen, I decided that this would be a good time to talk about keeping all information associated with your credit cards in a handy spot.
Apparently, even though I had my Visa card with me, someone got the number (don’t know how) and must have created an actual card to match the one I have and charged a taxi cab ride, shoes, and hobby equipment at several places in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL area, totaling more than $500. If it had been me, I hope I was having a good time since that would have meant I was on vacation :), but it wasn’t. The credit card company’s fraud department contacted me on a Friday evening to ask me to verify those charges. I was unable to return their call until Saturday; they had paid for the taxi cab ride but declined the shoes and the hobby equipment. I have yet to understand how they picked up on this, but I am so glad they did. My old card was canceled. They are going to contact the 3 credit rating companies to explain why the card was canceled, and they issued a new card, which I received the following Monday.
So you don’t have to panic when something like this happens, here are 4 tips that can help you prevent credit card fraud.
- Keep your credit card numbers and contact information in a safe place. If you need that information, you’ll have a place to find it.
- Make a list of the companies where you have established automatic credit card payments. You can contact them as soon as the new card is activated to update the information.
- Keep only those credit cards with you that you plan to use. Leave the rest at home.
- Notify your credit and debit card companies when you are traveling, especially if you are leaving the country. Your card won’t be denied if they see a charge from your travel destination.
This is more of an aggravation than anything else. My identity was not stolen, and within 4 days the problem was resolved. If there is anything else that you have done to keep prevent this from happening to you, please feel free to share.
Now is Your Time to Go from Bedlam to Brilliance!
Barbara Berman
www.bb-clutter-solutions.com
info@bb-clutter-solutions.com
856-912-0077
Please feel free to forward. Referrals are the best compliments
BB’s Clutter Solutions is located in Cherry Hill, NJ and serves New Jersey (north and south), Philadelphia and its Pennsylvania suburbs, and New York City.
