Credit Card Big List

At the end of the month when your credit card statement comes
in, what do you do with it? I am going to guess you likely look
at the balance due, and the minimum payment, then write your
check and send it off. Right? WRONG! You need to be looking more
closely at that statement to make sure that there are no charges
on it that you didn’t make. Think that rarely happens and only
to irresponsible people? Think again.

You may know actor James Woods from a number of the movies he
has been in, most recently starring as a lawyer in the TV show
Shark. He is the kind of person that takes a look at the charges
on his credit card at the end of the month and noticed that
there were thousands of dollars in charges that he had not put
on the card. Among the items purchased were a set of very pricey
VIP concert tickets.

Doing a little home detective work, Woods decided to try to
figure out who was responsible for the charges. He called the
concert venue and told them he had not gotten the tickets and
wanted to confirm the name and address they sent them to.

Turns out the address was right beside a restaurant where he
often went, and the person who had ordered the tickets was one
of the waiters at that restaurant. Obviously, one night when he
was having dinner the waiter took his card, to pay the bill, and
while he was at it copied the charge information to use on his
own later.

This shows this kind of thing can happen to anyone. So, you need
to be keeping a close eye on your statement every month. Go over
each individual charge and make sure they are all ones that you
have charged. If you are not sure what a charge is, call the
company for clarification.

It is important to catch these types of charges quickly. The
faster they are caught, the faster you can stop the charging.
Additionally, many credit card companies will begin to hold you
responsible if you don’t notice the problem early on.

Another option is to make sure you have a credit card with
protection benefits. Many credit cards on the market come with
advanced protection benefits that will keep a close eye on your
card and quickly catch any problem charges. You will also be
protected from being responsible for anything charged on your
card.

Author: Stephen Sikes