Credit cards are the most popular identity theft fraud in the United States, which is why it is expected that you or someone close to you has experienced this unpleasant event at least once in a lifetime.

For this reason, it is essential for you to know what you can do about credit card fraud in order to protect yourself and decrease the number of identity theft cases over the year. This article was created with the aim of helping you find such information, so read further to learn what you can do!

Important Facts That you Should Know

First of all, do not be so afraid of credit card fraud happening to you. As the law states, your liability will be limited to 50 dollars only, with some credit cards having zero liability. Thus, if you report identity theft right on time, you will not be damaged as much.

However, this is not the case for debit cards, so here is what you should know about debit card fraud:

• All the transactions made after the moment you had reported the theft to your bank will not be your responsibility;
• If you report the crime within two business days, you will not have to repay more than 50 dollars;
• Reporting the theft within 60 days is another thing, and here you can lose up to 500 dollars;
• As for the reports made after 60 days, you will not have any protection.

Here are the steps that you should take the moment you find out about the fraud:

• Immediately call your bank and report the situation;
• Go to the police station and make a report there as well. What is more, do not forget to take a copy of this report as it might help you to repair the damages made;
• A credit freeze is an option that you should consider. And in order for the credit freeze to take place, you will need to alert one of three credit bureaus, such as Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. After that, you and other people will not have an opportunity to open a new account or get access to your old one.

As for any future thefts taking place, you will need to make a little study and find out how you can protect yourself from fraudulent activities. Thus, you should always be skeptical about unexpected emails and phone calls from the ‘bank.’ Make sure to call your bank yourself and ask about the troubles stated to you previously. 

It is also a good idea to avoid unsecured websites and use different passwords for your cards. What is more, do not use public Wi-Fi to make financial transactions.