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Friday, December 20, 2013

What To Do If Your Credit Card Has Been Stolen or Hacked

With the recent news of the Target security breach, you may be wondering what steps you should take if your credit card information has been stolen.  Here’s a step by step guide on what to do.
  1. Contact your credit card issuer immediately
    Find the contact information for your credit card issuer, whether it’s a bank, credit union or other financial institution, and call them to inform them you’re credit card information has been stolen. Your financial institution has procedures in place on how to handle incidents like this, and they’ll be able to assist you.
     
  2. Ask that your card number and PIN be replaced
    Chances are your financial institution will do this anyways, but if they don’t, request that a new card and PIN number be issued.
     
  3. Monitor your accounts
    Monitor your financial accounts for any fraudulent behavior. If you notice a charge that should not be there, dispute it right away with your financial institution.
     
  4. Monitor your credit reports
    It’s also a good idea to monitor your credit reports to make sure no one is opening new lines of credit in your name. You can request a free copy of your credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com
     
  5. Consider credit freezes and fraud alerts
    Depending on the severity of the fraud, you may want to request a credit freeze or fraud alert from the three major credit bureaus. The Washington State Office of the Attorney General has more information about these options at http://www.atg.wa.gov/freeze.aspx
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