Credit Card Safety Tips

When I first moved out of the Twin Cities up north here, I didn't go into cooking right away. I needed a job, like now, so I got on with the mail order company Fingerhut, in the customer service department. I learned a few tips from there on credit card safety and fraud.

1: On the back of your card in the signature line put: Check ID. That way if you drop it and I pick it up, I cant forge your signature and if asked for an ID, well the names won't match.
2: Never leave a card unsigned. You drop it, I sign it, I use it.
3: If you hand a card to a cashier, when you get it back check the name to make sure it's yours. If you have just a simple grey master card, and I have the same designed card I could swap yours for a fake with a diffrent name. Especialy if I "acidently" drop yours on the floor.
4: Never put your pin on the card. Do that and I have cash withdrawn in minutes from an ATM
5: Never keep your pin in your wallet or on you You drop your wallet, I got card and pin.
6: Write down the numbers of the card company and keep in a safe place. If you lose a card you can call the card company a lot quicker if you have their number handy.
7: Make a pin you can remember but hard for me to figure out.Most people pick a date like a birthday or aniversary as a pin. If I know you well enough, I may know these dates and could figure out your pin.
8: Keep a tab on your credit card bills.Some companies put the card number on the bill, plus if a charge shows up you didn't make you'll also know that.
9: Most websites have no way to verify if your the actual card holderThey can't see a pic ID to make sure it's you.
10: Keep RecieptsThat way if you do lose it you can tell the company what your last purchase was, so you don't get charged for something you didn't buy.
11: If you lose it, call it in ASAP

It takes on average 1-3 days (for the average joe) before you realize you lost your card, by then I could charged thousands on it.

I almost was a victim of credit card fraud. When I worked for Fingerhut our software was designed not to shio out merchandise that was called in on a credit card. Instead out fraud team, recieved it and could verify the info with the card companies plus would call the customer back to double check.
One day I was at my desk and got a call from the fraud team, my card showed up on the system for an order. My name was correct but the address was wrong. Plus they knew I worked there and could go to the company store and buy stuff for pennies over cost. Needless to say I never placed an order on the system. So they didn't ship it. A few days later they called again. this time it was a diffrent card number with the wame address that was used when my card was attempted. We found out it was a waitress at a local restuarant,who at the end of the day did the print out of the CC numbers, and kept a copy. She had almost 500,000 card numbers.
I was lucky.

As for other things, never put your DL # on checks, especialy if you have carbon copies, if it goes through, I got your info. Same for your SSN.
When filling out Apps for a new job, place on it "SSN given if hired", that way if you drop your App, I aint got that info.
If someone calls and says they are a bill collector, or something in that matter and asks to verify any numbers. Tell them you need to get that info, and you'll call them back. And then check out the number with whats listed in the phonebook(Ex: If they say their Marys Hospital and leave a number 555-555-9900 make sure thats Marys Hospitals number)

Just some tips to keep you safe and from getting shafted by the con-man.