A fairly straightforward and simple way for a thief who has knowledge of credit card fraud to “make a living” is by stealing credit card numbers, at least for a short period. Now, you may be thinking you are very safe but lets look at some facts.

I have used my own credit cards on the internet thousands of times without any issues but even though I use my cards in stores and restaurants far less, I have been defrauded this way - in a gas/petrol station as a matter of fact. I will happily go on using my cards on the internet on a daily basis but would be more wary of using them offline.

So how can we be the victim of offline credit card fraud? Nothing new here - its called “skimming”. What is skimming? Its where, for example, you give your card to a waiter or waitress in a cafe or coffee shop to make payment. Shortly they return your card to you and you think nothing more of it. What has happened though is that the card has been “swiped” for payment, not once but twice. So your card details are now being stored in a magnetic card reader which can then be downloaded to a computer for use.

The only way to be sure this has or is not happening to you is to regularly check your card statements. Often thieves will make very small transactions so you are not aware of them, so its wise to go through your statement carefully.

Banks and institutions do have in place much greater security measures and will also often compensate in full if you have been the unfortunate victim of fraud, but this is no reason for complacency. I did not receive any compensation due to some issues that are not worth discussing here, so its sensible not just to presume you will be fully compensated.

Here are a few things you can do to limit your risk:

- any thing other than your credit card statements or any other valuable document pertaining to your credit card you should shred or burn. Do not just simply throw it in the bin and presume it will be safely disposed of

- if you are asked to verify some of your credit card details over the telephone, you need to question this seriously. Who is the caller and why do they need your details and do you trust this person enough to provide the details?

- do not lend you credit cards to anyone unless you trust them implicity

- its wise to carry only the card or cards that you really need and any other cards you have, leave them in a safe place at home or in the office

- if you use your card at a store, restaurant, shop or similar, do not leave the credit slip lying around or do not just simply put in the bucket

- check all card receipts against your card statements on a regular basis

- moving home? Make sure you let your credit card company know about it well in advance

So there we are, some simple but very effective ways to lower any risks to our credit cards and ensure we do not suffer from credit card theft.

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