Credit card fraud is an unfortunate event far too many people in America experience. Luckily, by law we are not responsible for more than fifty dollars of fraudulent purchases on any credit cards. In fact most credit card companies don’t even bother holding you accountable for the first fifty dollars worth and instead give you zero fraud responsibility. How are some of the common ways credit card fraud occurs and how to combat it?

1) Mail Theft – Crooks have gotten clever when it comes to stealing mail. They take advantage of times when there’s no activity at your house, when you’re out of town, to swoop in and steal days and days worth of mail. Did you know you can actually request the post office to hold your mail for free? For as little as 3 days or as many as 30 days. If you’re going out of town it most likely would be a good idea to do this if you don’t have a neighbor that can take in your mail for you.

2) Receipt – Today most merchants disguise most of the credit card numbers printed on receipts so there’s no danger in the number being ripped off from it. However many of the old fashion “mom and pop” stores have the old fashion receipts, which still print your full credit card information on the receipt. These are the ones you have to be careful about. I recommend shredding these receipts or tearing up into small pieces that you can flush down the toilet.

3) Defective Merchandise – This is another form of credit card fraud which is often overlooked and not identified as fraud. Did you buy a product which was obviously not as advertised? Perhaps you purchased an item on eBay which was advertised as new, but instead receive it used? This is a form of credit card fraud. Fortunately American Express credit cards protect you from misrepresented merchandise and will often give you a full refund of the charges. Fortunately, there are number of incentives in place that punish credit card transaction fees and their rates, if a merchant has too many complaints about misrepresented merchandise. You can also consult help using an online credit card forum to find out how other people in similar situations handled it.

Start by following these simple steps to be on your way to greater credit card fraud protection.