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

Additional Resources

• Recovering From Identity Theft or Fraud
  Information from the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.
• Credit Card Loss Protection
  Information from the Federal Trade Commission on protection services offered by credit card companies and your $50 liability.
• Target Security Breach Information
  Information for Target customers regarding the breach.