Prudy
12-23-2009, 07:57 PM
Don't Lose Money On Charges You Didn't Make!
Quick! In 15 seconds list every credit card in your wallet AND the customer service number for each! If your wallet were to be stolen right this very minute, probabilities are that there will be fraudulent charges on at least one of your cards by the time you are halfway through this article, so time is of the essence. As soon as you discover that your cards are missing, you need to contact the customer service number for each credit and bank card as quickly as possible…. like… immediately! But if you happen to be in the middle of the mall or at the airport when you discover the loss, which you probably will be, it will be more than overwhelming to even think about how to track down all the information you need to stop any of those fraudulent charges in their tracks. Not to mention doing this without being rattled would be a daunting task, try it when you are freaking out!
With myfico.com stating that the average person has 9 to 13 credit cards in their wallet, it’s doubtful that you have all the information in your head. But you can very easily have it at your fingertips no matter where you are. Simply sit down and email yourself a “coded” list of all your credit card information including the cvv numbers and customer service contact information from the back of each card. (Hint: Doing it soon is a good plan). With technology making it so easy to access the internet from virtually anywhere, anytime including laptops and internet enabled phones, you’ll be able to retrieve all the information with just a few key strokes and be on the phone before the card snatchers get too far. Even if you don’t have a laptop or internet enabled phone with you, or that was stolen as well, odds are you can find access in any security office or even a nice person sitting near you in the airport with a laptop might be willing to help you if you explain the situation. (Well, I know I would be more than glad to help out a stranded traveler for I never know when it will be me in need of assistance).
IMPORTANT TIPS: NEVER scan your cards into the email and ALWAYS “code” the informational email as an extra security measure. This way, even if someone is not willing to allow you on their computer but will access it and print it out for you, nothing will be compromised. But keep your coding consistent with all cards for retrieval accuracy. For example: take the second set of 4 numbers and reverse them on all cards. Never do just the first set of 4 numbers, those identify the kind of card and a crook can figure that one out quickly. Or better, do all 4 sets four numbers in code, for instance take the 1st number of each set of 4 numbers and place it at the end of that set (i.e.: if the card number reads 1234 1234 1234 1234, you would type it in as 2341 2341 2341 2341). Crooks are very unlikely to want to spend the time to decipher your individual code.
Another smart thing to do is to also include all of the important phone numbers from your cell phone. Not only can your cell phone be stolen, many times we can unknowingly drop it or simply leave it in a cab and honestly, I can’t even remember my own home phone number most of the time speed dial #3 just isn’t going to work on another phone.
And lastly, be sure the email you are using is accessible with a service such as Yahoo! or gmail with an address and password that you can easily recall. This will allow quicker access as well as fewer problems with firewalls, etc. I would suggest an address separate from your main account since someone else might have to access it for you and you don’t want all your personal email out there for them to read before you can securely change your password.
We at YourGoodBuyGirl.com would like to extend our wishes for all your holiday outings and travels to be safe and worry free and hope this is one tip you never have to be thankful for, but “just in case” is always the best idea.
Click Here for more Tips of the Day (http://www.yourgoodbuygirl.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2)
Quick! In 15 seconds list every credit card in your wallet AND the customer service number for each! If your wallet were to be stolen right this very minute, probabilities are that there will be fraudulent charges on at least one of your cards by the time you are halfway through this article, so time is of the essence. As soon as you discover that your cards are missing, you need to contact the customer service number for each credit and bank card as quickly as possible…. like… immediately! But if you happen to be in the middle of the mall or at the airport when you discover the loss, which you probably will be, it will be more than overwhelming to even think about how to track down all the information you need to stop any of those fraudulent charges in their tracks. Not to mention doing this without being rattled would be a daunting task, try it when you are freaking out!
With myfico.com stating that the average person has 9 to 13 credit cards in their wallet, it’s doubtful that you have all the information in your head. But you can very easily have it at your fingertips no matter where you are. Simply sit down and email yourself a “coded” list of all your credit card information including the cvv numbers and customer service contact information from the back of each card. (Hint: Doing it soon is a good plan). With technology making it so easy to access the internet from virtually anywhere, anytime including laptops and internet enabled phones, you’ll be able to retrieve all the information with just a few key strokes and be on the phone before the card snatchers get too far. Even if you don’t have a laptop or internet enabled phone with you, or that was stolen as well, odds are you can find access in any security office or even a nice person sitting near you in the airport with a laptop might be willing to help you if you explain the situation. (Well, I know I would be more than glad to help out a stranded traveler for I never know when it will be me in need of assistance).
IMPORTANT TIPS: NEVER scan your cards into the email and ALWAYS “code” the informational email as an extra security measure. This way, even if someone is not willing to allow you on their computer but will access it and print it out for you, nothing will be compromised. But keep your coding consistent with all cards for retrieval accuracy. For example: take the second set of 4 numbers and reverse them on all cards. Never do just the first set of 4 numbers, those identify the kind of card and a crook can figure that one out quickly. Or better, do all 4 sets four numbers in code, for instance take the 1st number of each set of 4 numbers and place it at the end of that set (i.e.: if the card number reads 1234 1234 1234 1234, you would type it in as 2341 2341 2341 2341). Crooks are very unlikely to want to spend the time to decipher your individual code.
Another smart thing to do is to also include all of the important phone numbers from your cell phone. Not only can your cell phone be stolen, many times we can unknowingly drop it or simply leave it in a cab and honestly, I can’t even remember my own home phone number most of the time speed dial #3 just isn’t going to work on another phone.
And lastly, be sure the email you are using is accessible with a service such as Yahoo! or gmail with an address and password that you can easily recall. This will allow quicker access as well as fewer problems with firewalls, etc. I would suggest an address separate from your main account since someone else might have to access it for you and you don’t want all your personal email out there for them to read before you can securely change your password.
We at YourGoodBuyGirl.com would like to extend our wishes for all your holiday outings and travels to be safe and worry free and hope this is one tip you never have to be thankful for, but “just in case” is always the best idea.
Click Here for more Tips of the Day (http://www.yourgoodbuygirl.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2)