In today’s information age, your credit card information is at risk for theft. You can’t always prevent it from happening, but you can create obstacles and make it tougher for someone to access your cards and card numbers. Here are six tips to help protect yourself from credit fraud.

Keep your credit cards safe. Store your cards in a secure wallet or purse. After making a purchase, immediately return your card to that place.

Don’t allow websites to “remember” your card number. Only let secure payment portals, like GooglePay and PayPal, remember your card number. An even better practice is to never check the “remember card number” box for any site or portal.

Before you make a purchase using either of these platforms, make sure that you have read the fine print. Many consumers have been charged an automatic payment for services, without having selected the “automatic payment” option. In PayPal, you can manage your automatic payments by clicking ‘settings’, then the ‘payments’ tab, and ‘manage automatic payments.’  

Be wary when shopping online. Before using your credit card online, verify the site’s security and that the URL is authentic — there should be an “s” after the “http” in the web address, and a lock icon as well.

Review your account statements. Always look through your monthly statement to check for suspicious account activity. You should also consider making the switch to e-Statements! Receiving your account statements by email is safer, faster, more convenient, and saves paper. To enroll, sign-in to your NetTeller™, select e-Statements on the top banner and then follow the online instructions. Once you have completed enrollment, you will receive a confirmation notice. Click here to learn more.

Report lost or stolen cards immediately. The sooner you report a missing card, the less liability you will have for fraudulent charges made with your card. Give us a call at (800) 764-0566 or stop by your local SeaComm branch for assistance. 

Stay informed with SeaComm’s Fraud Center. As your credit union, we want to keep you and your finances safe. That’s why we’ve introduced our Fraud Center, which includes valuable resources to help educate and empower our members to protect their assets and identities. Click here to get started.

If your credit card or personal information has been compromised, take advantage of your Benefits Plus® membership with SeaComm. Once you upgrade your basic checking account to a Benefits Plus^® checking, you will gain access to a full range of fraud and identity-theft protection services, including fraud alerts, lost document recovery services, 90-day Purchase Protection, and much more. Click here to learn more, or stop by your local SeaComm branch to enroll!

For complete information, terms, conditions and exclusions please visit www.benefits-plus.org or call 866-329-7587.