Here are a few tips to help prevent credit card fraud.
*Never give out your credit card number over the phone unless you placed the original call.
*Use extreme caution in how and where you dispose of credit card carbons and receipts. Tearing the paperwork into very small pieces and disposing of them in your home trash can and greatly reduced you changes of fraud.
*In the state of Florida,
it is now illegal for a merchant to require a consumer to display a credit card when accepting a personal check. The only form of identification necessary is a driver’s license or state photo identification card.
*Keep a list of all credit cards and the issuer’s phone numbers in a safe place in case you need to report the cards lost or stolen.
*Many credit card companies are now offering cards that have your photograph on them. Taking advantage of this type of offer can greatly reduce the chances of your card being used fraudulently.
*Carry only the credit cards you need and plan to use. Cards that you are not using should be placed in a secured area of your home. Carry your cards separately from your wallet.
*Always double check the total on your bill prior to signing the credit card receipt and then compare all your receipts to your monthly statement.
*Before discarding expired credit cards, always make sure to cut them up into small pieces and discard them in your home trash can. 
*When getting gas on your debit card, always choose the CREDIT option, this will only ask for your zip code, not your pin number.
*During a transaction, keep your eye on your card. Make sure you get it back before you walk away.
*Never sign a blank receipt. Draw a line through any blank spaces above the total.
*Report any questionable charges to the card issuer.
*Notify your card issuer if your address changes or if you will be traveling.
When traveling to Florida, always notify your card issuer. There is an abundance of places to visit and things to do, so you do not need the aggravation of you credit card being stopped because your issuer thinks it may have been stolen.
