Submitted by tim
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Vermont Business Magazine As Vermonters head into the holiday buying season, Attorney General Sorrell reminds consumers to take steps to protect themselves from being the victims of credit card theft and fraud. Data security breaches and credit card fraud continue to be a significant problem, causing millions of dollars in losses each year. Consumers should take the following steps to protect themselves:
- When out shopping, keep your credit card in view at all times.
- If you shop online, make sure your computer is protected with virus scanning software – without this software, scammers may steal your credit card information as you make a purchase even on a secure site through malware placed on your computer at an earlier time. A few very effective and free products include:
- AVG Antivirus:free.avg.com;
- Malwarebytes:malwarebytes.org;
- Avast Antivirus:avast.com; and
- Panda Antivirus:pandasecurity.com.
- Never purchase online on a public wifi network or a library computer.
- Never respond to an email request or unsolicited phone call that asks for your password or other sensitive information – this is almost certainly a scam.
- Check your credit card statements closely for suspicious charges and notify your bank immediately if you see any.
- If you do not plan to buy a car or a house, or get a new credit card any time soon, consider requesting credit freezes to stop scammers from ordering cards in your name. More information on getting a credit freeze can be found here:www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs.
- Check your credit reports for suspicious accounts. You can order one report free each year from each of the three credit reporting agencies. Go here to order your credit report:www.annualcreditreport.com.
If you see anything suspicious and are unsure what to do, contact the Consumer Assistance Program at (800) 649-2424 or (802) 656-3183.
Vermont AG: Nov 24, 2015