January 07, 2009
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News: Credit Card Precautions at the Stores.
All this complementary security for credit card shopping on-line is not offered when shopping in person. Even though a business at the mall may have an impeccable reputation, they must employ thousands of low-wage clerks, many of whom are ‘untested' over time. It's very easy for a nice young person just starting out in life with ‘all-the-right' values to get a part-time or summer job at one of these places as a clerk. Over time, a small percentage of these ‘newbees' will be lured by temptation and peer pressure from close friends to try ‘something new'. They'll also be handling your credit cards. So, it always comes down to the human element. In a restaurant we pay our tab by inserting our credit cards into the little sleeve of the padded ‘tab folder' and the waiter disappears with both for about five minutes. In this time, much can happen, totally unknown to the patron. So the safety mostly involves knowing which and what information to give and who to give it to. Be very attentive when you allow someone else to handle your card.
As a follow-up safeguard, make a habit of spot-checking your credit card activities online. Takes less than a minute every few days and is almost foolproof. This one credit card-fraud weakness has been capitalized upon by thieves who can go undetected for years by only charging $9.95 every once in a while. So many "gimme's" use that common amount that many people gloss over it, thinking it's just a built-in charge. Small potatoes unless the thief has 1000 other peoples credit cards also and is doing the same with each (hey, it's a living). Often times, thieves will charge $1.00 a few times to test the waters. When they deem it safe, they'll drop ‘the big one' and then move on to safer waters.