Credit cards have been growing in popularity for decades. Today, more credit, debit and gift cards are used than ever before. Due the growing popularity of these methods of payment, they are a common target for those who counterfeit them.

These activities from counterfeiters cost businesses millions of dollars per year. Around the world, a billion dollars is lost every year to counterfeit credit cards.

Here are a few tips on how to spot a counterfeit credit card. Of course, these tips are only good if you actually look at the card rather than give it a cursory glance!

1) Take a look at the embossed account number.

• Visa’s account numbers begin with the number 4, and will have either 13 or 16 digits.
• MasterCard account numbers start with a 5 and have 16 digits.
• American Express numbers always start with 34 or 37 and will have 15 digits.
• Discover always starts with 6011.

2)  All banks have a four-digit bank ID number or BIN. This number is printed below the first four embossed numbers of the credit card, and these numbers should match.

However, note that the Discover card, not being part of a bank, will not have the BIN number underneath the first four embossed numbers. The same goes for American Express.

3)

Take a look at the signature panel on the back of each credit card. If it is a Visa or a MasterCard, the card type should be printed many times on the white strip in multi-colored text. If there are no such words, or if it is just a white strip, the card is counterfeit.

Note that debit cards with a credit card logo on them might have a different form of identification on the signature panel. For example, long strips of orange and blue may be present instead of the words MasterCard or Visa.

For American Express, the signature panel should have wavy black lines. The signature strip for the Discover card will have the word ‘Discover’ printed on it several times.

4) Take a look at the four numbers in the upper right hand corner of the signature panel. These should match the last four numbers of the credit card itself, and the text itself should be tilted toward the left. There will also be an additional white strip to the right of those numbers, in which three numbers are printed.

5)

image credit:blog.unibulmerchantservices.com

If you subject the MasterCard or Visa Cards to ultraviolent light, symbols should appear. A large ‘MC’ will appear on the MasterCards, and an image of a dove will appear on the Visas. For the Discover Cards, the word ‘DISCOVER’ should appear. The word AMEX will appear on the American Express card – and the Centurion figure in the middle of the card should phosphoresce.

6) Each card is printed with a holographic image on the back of the card. For Visa Cards, you should see the image of a dove. For MasterCards, you should see two circles with the continents on them. For Discover Cards, you should see what appears to be a tiny atom. Note that the Centurion logo in the middle of the American Express card should be rendered in great detail – similar to the faces of the Presidents rendered on US currency.

The counterfeiting of credit cards costs merchants millions of dollars a year. It also costs individuals several hundred dollars a year, as businesses include this potential loss in their pricing plans and share the burden across their customer base.

By being extra vigilant and knowing what to look for, you can minimize the loss as well as risks from accepting counterfeit credit cards.

Steve Stoltz is a sales representative at CardPrinter.com, an ID Card Printer retailer that offers Evolis laminating card printers alongside many other products.

How To Spot a Counterfeit Credit Card is a post from: Snakebytez

Portal 2

This version answers the questions that left the original Portal with an ambiguous ending. The writing from Valve Corp. remains just as clever along with a cooperative workability offering strategic situations that both intrigue and challenge. It is a first-person puzzle platform that introduces new characters including Wheatly voiced by Stephen Merchant and Cave Johnson voiced by J.K. Simmon, the role of GlaDOS returns as Ellen Mclain. Portal 2 has been quoted as, "controversially sexy" by PSM3 and Valve writer Joey Esposito calls it, "a metastasized amalgam of add-ons, additions and appropriations. Building itself out of itself."

Total War: Shogun 2

16th Century feudal Japan is the setting for this Sega published return of the Total war series. Fresh characters and settings are state-of-the art designs with simpler and yet more sophisticated usability. It is a hand’s on strategy where the player must create settlements, economy, military output and progression of technological use. The A.V. Club calls Shogun 2, "…the ideal example of evolution trumping revolution in creating great video games." PC Format comments, "It’s the finest Total War game CA [The Creative Assembly] has ever made, with a beautifully focused campaign and involving multiplayer too."

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

This is a Sci-Fi genre of a third installment in the Deus Ex series. The hero, Adam Jensen is a victim of industrial terrorism who spends the rest of the game seeking revenge. Critics praise how the dialogue genuinely impacts the outcome of the game as well as the continuous movement and unlimited aspects of the story. PC Gamer calls it a, "A dark, cool, and beautiful revival of an incredible game.", and PC PowerPlay quotes it as being, "One of the finest PC games ever created. Eidos Montreal [developer] has touched the sun."

LIMBO

This game is a re-release from its original launch in July 2010 that only made it available on Xbox 360. This year it returned as retail game pack designed for Microsoft Windows and in December for Mac. Developed by the Danish company, PlayDead, LIMBO follows an unnamed boy through a perilous, black and white world to determine the fate of his sister. It won the "Best Visual Art" award at the 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

This is the first multi-player game as the third installment in the Assassin’s Creed series. Developed by Ubisoft, it is set in Rome were Ezio the hero struggles to defeat the corrupt and greed ridden Templar Order. GameSpot describes it as, "Its beautiful vision of 15th-century Rome is just one of many reasons to get lost in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood."

These PC games are sure to impress even the most experienced games. Give one a try. You’ve got nothing to lose!

If you have played any of the above games, which one is you favorite? Assassin’s Creed?

Novella Chalupa married an avid gamer and is always looking for the hottest new trends. She enjoys writing about technology, cell phones, apps to find your stolen Android, and other organizational ways to use your phone.

5 of the Hottest PC Games of 2011 is a post from: Snakebytez

This means that there will now be a primary focus on HTML5 prompting a lot of i-told-you-sos from Apple. While this decision is currently only relevant to mobile applications, you can’t help but wonder what the future holds for laptops and PCs.

How did Flash develop?

There was a time when it looked as though Flash was going to dominate the internet. There was the attractive appeal of advanced animation and video and this was quickly picked up by various sites hoping to engage with their audience in a more dynamic way.

Adobe acquired Flash in 2005 (formerly Macromedia Flash) and set about developing it across a range of platforms. They were spreading rapidly with big plans to expand in the area of mobile browsing and hosting.

What are the pros and cons?

The obvious advantage of having a Flash site is providing a more enriched experience in animation with no additional coding entailed. There is no doubt that it offers a high level of interaction for the users as there aren’t as many limitations on text and images. Music and audio files can also be incorporated easily. This can arguably make a website more interesting and memorable.

However, for every positive there’s a negative. A factor that could put a lot of businesses and promotional sites off is that Flash makes it incredibly difficult for Google to pick up keywords and important content. This will affect the Google search engine results which is not what you want to hear when you’re trying to direct traffic to your site.

Navigation around a Flash site can be tricky. Because there are no individual pages, it makes it hard to go back to a previous page. Additionally, linking a particular page is not possible which can prove annoying when trying to share pages with others. To view and access a Flash site, a Flash player needs to be installed. This is time consuming and hardly makes for rapid and interruption-free internet browsing.

What went wrong?

Part of Adobe’s problem was that they were too caught up in the idea of spreading Flash around multiple platforms instead of concentrating on what would actually work. The release of the iPhone in 2007 certainly didn’t help matters and Adobe probably didn’t account for just how successful it would become. Instead, they focused on cheaper mobile devices.

However, when they realized the impact that the iPhone was having globally, they tried to work with Apple and encourage them to host Flash. Apple saw Flash as impractical for their devices and had a big issue with how much battery the software used. This was an on-going battle for many years and proved increasingly problematic for Adobe as Apple continued to grow and expand. This was bound to be awkward as none of Apple’s devices supported Flash.

Steve Jobs remained unconvinced about Flash saying, “Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it." With comments like these, the days of Flash were numbered.

What now?

Adobe have effectively admitted defeat and plan to throw their energies into developing graphic applications for HTML5 and concentrate on other areas of Flash hosting such as gaming and video. They also want to work on developing tools to work with HTML 5. Considering, how much mobile browsing has taken off and continues to expand, they really had no choice.

With mobile Flash being a thing of the past, it would appear that Flash is slowly dying out as a website creation platform. While Flash may still continue to have success through gaming and video, more and more people are realizing that Flash is not the ideal solution in terms of browser compatibility and practicality.

Users of Android and Blackberry phones are still left in the lurch as to what will happen to their browsing options and is most likely to be a case of wait-and-see.

This recent development really could signify the end for Flash as we know it.

R.I.P Flash? is a post from: Snakebytez

So what will you do if it’s lost or stolen? Will your entire world come to an end? Believe it or not, life will go on. It may take some time to recover, but you will. When you first realize your phone is missing, and after you’re absolutely sure you didn’t just leave it in the car or on your friend’s kitchen table, there are some things you should do.

Contact Your Phone

This is surely your first instinct anyway, but make sure you call and text your phone, just in case some helpful citizen has found it. You can even offer a reward in your text for its safe return. Contacting your phone won’t always work, but it’s worth a shot. Don’t try too long to reach someone, though. Maybe attempt for a few hours, and then move on to step two.

Call Your Provider

You should then call your cell phone provider and let them know you’re cell phone has been lost or stolen. If someone of ill repute has your phone, they could begin racking up major charges quickly with downloads and calls, and you don’t want to have to foot the bill. They will suspend service on the device in case it’s found and until you get a replacement.

GMS Users: Record your 15  Digit  International Mobile Equipment Identity “IMEI number” and in a safe place separate from your phone.

Your IMEI number can be obtained by pressing *#06# into most phones (except China phones) or by looking behind the battery of your phone.
Report the number of your stolen phone to your network operator as quickly as you can with the IMEI number, they will DISABLE your phone and make it unusable for any network, even if any other SIM card is inserted.

CDMA Users:  CDMA doesn’t use the IMEI, but an Electronic Serial number ( ESN), identifies both handset and subscriber-as there is usually no SIM card. You can use the ESN number to disable your service.

Change Your Passwords

In the event that you cell phone could be being hacked, change all your passwords to email and other important log-ins you use on your cell phone. If you do any banking on your cell phone or have credit card accounts, notify them that your cell phone is missing, too, just in case. Don’t forget to change your social media passwords, too, like your Facebook account.

Report it Stolen

If your cell phone truly is your lifeline, you may want to consider reporting it stolen to the police. It can’t hurt, anyway. Maybe one day it will even turn up after an exciting criminal bust.

Also, Now that you have lost your phone and SIM you might want to apply for a new SIM. First, You will need an Police First Information Report (FIR) for this, without  FIR they won’t accept your application.

Lodge a complaint, get a FIR from the police station and apply for a new SIM form your nearest Mobile service gallery. A SIM will be issued after completing the form procedures and the service will be active for the same number in few hours.

Even after you have a new cell phone and your old one has no service anymore, you still might hope to get it back someday. You can advertise in the local paper and on websites like Craigslist, asking people to keep a lookout. If you offer a reward, that could be a nice incentive. You just might get it back some day when you least expect it.

Prevention

The best thing you can do is prepare yourself in the event your cell phone is lost or stolen. Even if you think it will never happen to you, it could, and it is best to have everything backed up. Back up all your data on your home computer and it will lessen the impact losing your phone will have. You won’t have to ask everyone for their phone numbers again or explain to your boss why you don’t have that report on time. Back up your data at least once a month and losing your cell phone won’t be such a life-altering disaster.

Grammarly grammar checker provided online automated proofreading to this and many other professionally written articles on the web.

What to Do When Your Cell Phone is Lost or Stolen is a post from: Snakebytez

Instant Cameras

image credit : wikimedia.org

With the advent of home technology, instant cameras burst onto the scene. One of the more popular “land” cameras was produced by Polaroid. The “Swinger” (named for the “swinging ‘60s perhaps) was one of the first affordable. Its self-proclaimed “mod” design appealed to the youth of the day and became a best seller.

Vintage ads on YouTube show teens frolicking on a beach snapping pictures of each other’s hard bodies while Barry Manilow croons a catchy tune on how to work the thing. And guess what? It’s only $19.95—which seems a bit steep for a camera that takes only black and white pictures if you ask me.

Pocket Transistor Radios

No teen worth his or her salt was caught without a pocket transistor radio. Since mom and dad controlled the stereo, this gadget flung open the doors of music freedom for kids everywhere.

Manufacturers made boatloads of these little gadgets in the ‘60s, offering them in a vast array of colors and styles. An internet search on “novelty transistor radios” unearths a stunning variety of transistor radios ranging from Avon’s Skin So Soft bottles, to packs of Winston cigarettes, providing the observer with a clear picture of the era’s pop culture.

One would think that the compact design was part of the charm—making music portable and all. So why did “boom boxes” emerge on top during the decade following? Things that make you go hmmm….

8 MM Home Movies

Home theater really took off in the ‘60s as the popularity of 8 millimeter home movies grew. Thanks to the Kodak Brownie key-wound movie camera, Joe Average now fancied himself a cinematographer.

This created a boon for beret and booze manufacturers everywhere as captive audiences across the United States gulped Manhattans while being forced witness Joe and Ethel’s vacation footage for hours on end, ala Clockwork Orange.

Cassette Tape Recorders

Teens everywhere jumped on the cassette tape recorder bandwagon and many abandoned the dinosaur called the LP as they embraced new and improved technology. In the mid ‘60s, Mercury launched the first music cassettes.

Precocious young siblings found the tape recorders handy for humiliating parents as they captured various behaviors, such as snoring, on tape. Clever kids learned how to piece the tape back together after mom and dad unwound it in a fit of rage.

Battery Shaver

A boon to men everywhere, the battery shaver erased the five o’clock shadow tout suite and is undergoing a popularity resurgence as “being green” becomes more popular due to its long battery life and the ability to nip that stubble in the bud without the use of water.

This home technology reflection on audio/video tools is brought to you by James Tennant who no longer owns any of these geeky gadgets.

Geeky Gadgets of the ‘60s is a post from: Snakebytez

Facebook

Trusted Friends:

Currently what happens is that if you are unable to access the Facebook Account, you can reset your password which is delivered to your registered email address. Now what if your registered email account is also hacked or you have forgotten the passwords for that email account as well and you are unable to access it. This new feature will come to your rescue there. Security Codes will be sent to 3-5 trusted friends(which you select) and they will be able to pass them on to you. Now you can rely on your trusted friends to recover your password.

Trusted Apps:

Facebook has also announced that to increase the security in Facebook enabled applications, a new feature called App passwords is introduced. This allows you to set specific passwords for applications and will enable you to login to applications from Third parties with a distinct set of codes.

To enable, go to Account Settings > Security tab, and the “App Passwords” section.

“You can generate a password that you won’t need to remember, just enter it along with your email when logging into an application,” Facebook said.

These will be one time passwords that you can use for the first time only and gain access to the application using your Facebook login details.
The first feature will be pretty helpful for users while the second one may not be that popular.

New Security Features from Facebook is a post from: Snakebytez

What do you do if you come across a car accident and someone needs first aid? There’s an app for that too!

That’s right, when you can’t count on the local news to get you the information you need on time, you can count on your iPhone, smartphone or android phone to bring you thousands of apps that will make sure you’re prepared in a variety of emergency situations.

From step-by-step instructions on how to safely perform CPR to advice from experts if you’re involved in an car accident, preparedness smartphone apps will help keep you calm in emergency situations and—they might even save lives.

Here is a complete list of our “must-have” preparedness – Life Saver phone apps:

1. Blood Sugar Diabetes Control

This smartphone app gives diabetes sufferers a mobile food diary, where they can record and keep track of foods consumed as well as all diabetic patient information. This diabetes maintenance app is available for $0.99 in the iTunes App Store.

2. CPR & Choking

You can find this free CPR instructional app in the App Store. This smartphone app features handy step-by-step videos that feature the latest C-A-B (chest compressions first, then airway and breathing) guidelines issued by the American Heart Association (from October 2010).

3. Hospitals app

This app is handy in an emergency pinch as it quickly provides a list of the nearest hospital in your area. Using the GPS on your mobile phone, the app zeros in on your location as well as the 10 hospitals closest to you from over 10,000 hospitals across the U.S. This handy hospital locater app is $0.99 in the App Store.

4. First Aid Pocket Guide

When you got your first car, your day most likely packed a fully-stocked first aid kit into the trunk, “just in case.” That’s because regardless of how prepared you might be for life’s unexpected emergencies—dad knows best—and there’s always the possibility that you might need that kid when you least expect it. However, if you’ve since ditched dad’s good advice and that first aid kit in your trunk, you can still relay on your iPhone. The First Aid Pocket Guide offers simple treatment guides, the essentials of first aid, and instructions on what to do in the most common trauma and medical emergencies. Isn’t being prepared worth a mere $3.99 in the App Store?

5. Pet First Aid

Our furry friends can’t tell when they’re in need of emergency assistance. So it can take a bit of guidance if your pet suffers a cut or a choking incident. With the Pet First Aid app at your fingertips, you can quickly find detailed articles, videos, and images to help you stabilize your pet in an emergency situation—then get them to a vet. You can also use the app to keep track of your pet’s vital medical information and to remind yourself of upcoming vaccinations. The Pet First Aid app is available for $3.99 in the App Store.

6. All Weather Pro

Get up-to-date iPhone data alerts for weather in your surrounding area—or on the national front.  The All Weather Pro smartphone app features alerts concerning storm watches, tornado threats, and wind warnings in one place fast loading app, instant access to local weather (based on location), for $1.99 in the App Store.

7. Lawyer App

The legal experts at Bachus & Schanker want to ensure that you know what steps to take to protect your rights and secure evidence in the event of a car accident. The Car Accident App is completely free and features an overview of your legal rights, a car accident checklist, advice and steps for collecting and saving insurance information and witness information in the event of a car crash, as well as an initial case inquiry and free phone consultation with the legal experts at Bachus & Shanker.

This App is available for iPhone as well ass Android phones.

8. Emergency Distress Beacon

How do you call for help if you find yourself lost in the middle of the woods? How do you alert a search party if you’re trapped in a flood? The Emergency Distress Beacon is a completely free iPhone app that emits just that—a distress beacon—via email containing your current location to your preferred authorities or emergency personnel.

Top ‘Be Prepared’ Phone Apps is a post from: Snakebytez

There are many things you can do in Open Office. You can write letters, documents, presentations, files, spreadsheets, PDFs and more. It’s ideal for business or home computer use. This is a high octane program that keeps delivering each and every time.

While Open Office is compatible with Microsoft Word, and typically users should be able to open your documents – not every recipient wishes to accept Open Office documents. To be fair, some recipients don’t want to accept other types of documents like Microsoft Word docx documents or other formats. But the biggest challenge in choosing Open Office is that you’ll only be able to send your documents in this format. Whereas if you send them using another word processing suite like Microsoft Word, typically you’ll be offered some options in the “Save As” mode so you can save the document in a different method. Having your documents reach the recipient are critical for any situation and realizing that there may be times your documents are not accepted in that format is something important to know. Try to have a backup plan so you can send your documents in a different format.

Open Office is very popular because it is easy to use. Users have described Open Office as an “intuitive” program, and many describe it as similar to Microsoft Word. So if you have used Microsoft Word, you will likely find the transition easy to Open Office. This is a great convenience when choosing Open Office for your computing needs. The layout is clear, bright and easy to understand with simple and very practical looking graphics to help you with your word processing or other needs.

A tight budget might be one of the top reasons to choose Open Office as your word processing and “Productivity Suite.” But many stay for the different functions. The ability to make your own PDF documents easily is a function you don’t see in every “suite” offered today. For a no charge program, it certainly offers a lot.

Any computer software user wonders about what type of “tech support” is offered. At Open Office there are a variety of options. There is a Wiki that people contribute to, there is a forum where you can ask and answer questions and there are other ways to find support for your Open Office questions and needs. From what we have seen, it looks like questions are answered by fellow, enthusiastic users of Open Office and not paid staff. While your questions may get answered, there is a difference between a volunteer and a paid employee spending a specific amount of time each day at a task. This may be a challenge – then again may not, depending on the individual situation – to the Open Office user looking for that answer to a question to help them with their computing needs. There’s something to be said for passion about a subject – but also something to be said for a part time or full time employee who punches a time clock each day vs. a volunteer who visits a forum when they feel like it.

Millions of people use Open Office every day, and you may become one of them too. It is easy to use, convenient and best of all – free! Visit www.openoffice.org to learn more about this great computer software program available for everyone.

Galorath, Inc. is the leading provider of tools that make your business work better, like Total Cost of Ownership and Project Tracking Software.

Should You Use Open Office? is a post from: Snakebytez

Googleplex

Google’s San Francisco office slide – first ride in 2008 Video Credit

The New Google Slide Image Source

As might be expected, the Google HQ in Santa Clara County, California is an innovative high tech space. On top of the multi-stop winding slide running through the different levels, there are free laundry rooms, gyms, two swimming pools and no less than eighteen canteens serving varied cuisine. This is how to keep a workforce happy. The giant rubber ball seating even makes sitting fun. And is that a giant dinosaur skeleton in the grounds?

Facebook HQ

Facebook HQ Image Source

Despite being depicted as a cold and detached genius in The Social Network, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg seems to care about his employees. The Facebook HQ in Palo Alto, California has canteens serving three meals a day, a coffee shop, an open pit BBQ, pizza band, salad bar and taco shack. It also has an incredible gym, which is just as well after all that food! This office sounds more like a campus, which makes sense given the company’s origins.

What If? Innovation

What If? Meeting Bed Image Source

As a Pimlico, London based consultancy working with businesses and governments to improve their social innovation practices, it stands to reason What If? Innovation would have a giant reception and meeting hub in which to mingle, brainstorm and create. As a brilliant way to stimulate, recognise and reward employee efforts the ceiling is covered in praise for the whole workforce.

White Mountain Office

White Office Image Source

An ingenious office space 100 feet below Stockholm in what was once an anti-atomic shelter; the White Mountain Office was designed by Albert France Lanord Architects. This stunning blend of hard rock and sleek metallic structures looks more like the lair of a Bond villain than the HQ of internet provider Swedish ISP. This is the kind of work environment employees would rush to get to in the morning and certainly one to boast about!

Adams & Knight

Adams and Knight Cinema Image Source

The Connecticut based advertising firm Adams & Knight have a breathtaking work space with a cool 50s diner vibe and retro Americana decor. It even has a Jukebox! All the fixtures and fitting recall the American diner aesthetic, resembling an Edward Hopper painting. To unwind, employees can take in a show at the built in sixty seating cinema.

Fog Creek Software

Fog Creek Software Offices Image Source

Software development companies take note. Fog Creek Software in Manhattan has gained a great reputation for its office innovations. Believing in privacy, each office is enclosed and even the normal workstations are hidden away in angular alcoves. The layout is so well planned that every desk has a window view looking outside, which helps busy programmers rest their square eyes. A hang out area complete with pool table, plasma screen and games console provides a deserved rest area.

Red Bull HQ London

Red Bull HQ London, Slide Image Source

Designed by Jump Studios, the Red Bull London HQ has magnificent floating walkways, meeting rooms with a ping pong table at their heart, a drop dead gorgeous chill out lounge area with various forms of entertainment and, the piece de resistance, an immense slide to swoop employees into their meetings. Sounds like Disneyworld with desktops. It’s an office interior sure to give employees wings.

Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia

Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia Image Source

The simply stunning interior design within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia is a sleek almost space age environment of swooping curved walkways that is a joy to see let alone work in. It’s hard to imagine the design not having an uplifting and inspiring effect on the employees. The beautiful plant life in the panoramic roof garden strikes a nice contrast to the contemporary design by Sada Vuga Architects.

Pixar HQ

Pixar Office Image Source

What kind of office space inspires Disney animated classics like the Toy Story trilogy and The Incredibles? One that combines technical innovation with creative playfulness if course. Both abound in Pixar’s Emeryville, California HQ. Cubicles have been replaced with garden sheds, games rooms are found around every corner and there’s even a cereals room filled with breakfast treats that make the working day feel like a sleepover. And everything’s free. Filled out an application form already?

MindLab

MindLab Image Source

Last, but certainly not least, MindLab is a social innovation unit working with business within the Denmark government. Designed by Bosch and Fjord of Denmark, the office interior is fully adaptable, allowing employees to manoeuvre fittings to suit their personal requirements. The open plan encourages free interaction, while the workplace has a special coating turning it into a giant whiteboard where fresh ideas can be doodled the moment they take shape.

This article was compiled and provided on behalf of Hotel Club; where you can find some the world’s coolest hotels in Tokyo.

When You Wish Where You Worked Was Where You Lived! is a post from: Snakebytez

Becoming a victim of credit card fraud can be a devastating event to experience. It can not only put a person in debt but it can ruin their credit score as well, hurting future chances for securing lines of credit or other loans. A number of steps can be taken to avoid becoming a victim of credit card fraud:

• Take extra caution if you decide to shop online. Most sites that accept credit cards are considered ‘secure websites’, which means that when you enter your personal information and credit card number into the site, the data will be encrypted. You will know a site is secure if there is a small padlock on the bottom of the screen.  If you decide to make a purchase, make sure the company you are buying something from is reputable and has done a lot of business with other consumers, successfully. If you do end up completing a purchase, never confirm your credit card information through an email. A reputable company would never ask that of you, and it’s an indication that the site could be a scam.
• Never store your pin number or password on or near the credit card. If you know you will have trouble remembering the information, make sure it is kept completely separate from the card.
• Make sure you keep a complete list of all the credit cards you own, the pin or password on them, and the phone number for the customer service line. If you notice your card is misplaced or stolen, you can reference this list to immediately call and alert the credit card company.
• When you sign a credit card receipt, make sure the entire number is not on the receipt before handing it back to the employee.  You should also make sure you put a line through any blank lines that remain. This prevents someone from coming along and adding to the overall total at a later point in time.
• Do not give out your entire credit card number over the phone unless you absolutely know whom you’re talking to. Your credit card company doesn’t often ask for the entire number, and it should have other ways of confirming your identity when you call. If you are calling away from home, you also don’t want someone to overhear you giving the information.
• Shred all of your credit card bills and statements before throwing them into the trash. If you simply tear a bill into half, it can easily be pieced back together for someone to read.
• Make sure you keep your information updated with your credit card company. If they suspect any suspicious activity with your card they will need your current phone number. If you move, you need to update your address with them and temporarily have your mail forwarded at your local post office.
• Luckily, most credit card companies keep a close eye on the activity that takes place with an individual’s credit card. If something is purchased out of town or a series of suspicious transactions take place, most companies will call the owner of the card to confirm that they did indeed make that purchase.

A financial counselor from Sydney, Thomas Savage also contributes content for creditcardcompare.com.au, an Australian credit cards comparison site, offering terrific balance transfer deals for switching over to new card companies.

Do You Know How to Avoid Credit Card Fraud? is a post from: Snakebytez