On Saturday, October 20, 2018 the Taylor County Sheriff's Office received a complaint that two credit cards had been stolen from an individual in Taylor County. The victim stated that over $4,000.00 worth of fraudulent purhases had been made with the stolen credit cards. After an investigation by the victim and the Taylor County Sheriff's Office, it was discovered that John Mitchell of Fort Myers, Florida was responsible for the theft of the cards and the fraudulent purchases. Mitchell was located with the two cards in his possession. He was arrested and lodged in the Taylor County Detention Center.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CREDIT CARD IS STOLEN
1. IDENTIFY ALL FRAUDULENT CHARGES
When you first log into your account and see that it's been compromised, print out a list of the most recent transactions, and highlight or circle ALL fraudulent charges. Have this paper handy so when you call the credit card company, you don't have to search for the information when they ask. You want to get everything taken care of as quickly as possible.
2. CALL YOUR CREDIT CARD COMPANY
Next, find the right number to call. You don't want to be on hold for hours or pressing an insane number of buttons to direct you to the right place. Remember to write down the exact time and date of your call, and who you talked to, just in case you need to reference it later.
3. CONTACT A CREDIT BUREAU
If your entire wallet was stolen, {and not just a credit card number}, it's a good idea to also add a 90-day fraud alert to your credit report. This prevents the thief from opening other financial accounts in your name, and notifies lenders to take extra precautions that the person requesting a new account is actually you. The nice thing is, you only have to do this once. The first credit agency you contact is required by law to alert the other two on your behalf.
4. TAKE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES FROM NOW ON
Just because you've notified your credit card company and switched over all automatic withdrawals on your account, doesn't mean you can breathe a sigh of relief just yet. Now it's time to be even more diligent to make sure nothing like this happens ever again!
- Check your statements regularly online, not just when you get them in your mail or email.
- Stay on top of your credit by requesting a FREE report every few months.
- Use a chip-enabled credit card, which creates a unique ID for every transaction.
- Create stronger passwords.
- Shred paperwork you no longer need.
- Avoid shopping online with your smartphone, unless of course, you follow these safety tips first.
