New Credit Card Alert

There is a new danger of someone getting and using your credit card account without you being aware of it at first. It's so obvious that most of us have overlooked it or didn't pay attention as we should have. It's the little things that can sometimes cause us a lot of headaches, especially if we tend to trust most people.

When you go into a store and make a purchase with your credit card you may just lay it on the counter while the sales person is finishing the transaction on the register. That 5 to 20 seconds gives anyone behind or next to you the time to take a photo (with their phone) of the front of your card which has the account number and expriation date. Many new phones have great zoom features which will work from even 5 feet or more away.

We rarely even notice others unless they are right on top of us or looking over our shoulder. This alert is to advise you to watch people who are not even very close because it can happen to anyone anywhere. If you must lay your card on the counter at least turn it face down so the numbers don't show. Better yet, just hold it with your hand over the numbers until you hand it to the sales person. If they did get a photo of the card they can also get a photo of your signature when you sign the form.

Barry is a speaker, franchise and business coach.  www.idealetter.com