You might often hear the question “paper or plastic?” every time you check out at the counter after shopping for groceries. It used to refer to what type of bag you would like to have your groceries put in, but now the grocery clerk could also be pertaining to what type of payment method you will be using to pay for your groceries.

In this day and age, nations all over the world are fast becoming cashless societies relying less and less on paper money and coins to do daily business transactions. It is the norm to have at least one credit card in your wallet, if not more. The benefits of owning a credit card are endless and there is no doubting the convenience that having a credit card provides.

As the number of people who apply for credit cards increases, sadly, the number of scams to fool people to separate with their credit card information is also on the rise. Consumer credit card fraud and scams have been proliferating as fast as money and information are being transferred from one part of the world to another. The simple act of using your credit card at a restaurant can already render you a victim if your server is deceitful decides to copy your credit card number for his own personal use. Even old receipts or sales slips that you throw away can be a gold mine for credit card identity thieves.

No one can ever be 100% sure that nobody will ever try to steal their credit card information from them. The good news is credit card fraud can definitely be prevented. Protect yourself from the thieves and scammers out there with these following tips – and with vigilance, awareness, and common sense.

The credit cards you own should be ones that you have applied for – not ones that you just received in the mail. Although there are legitimate companies who send credit cards through the mail, scammers have also infiltrated this system. Some people who have not even used the mail-sent credit cards were mysteriously charged with bills that came with the supposedly unused credit cards.

Only use your credit card at reputable establishments and trustworthy, secure websites. Legitimate companies will not ask you for your credit card information simply just to “check”. During any transaction, make sure you know who you’re giving your credit card to. Keep your card within sight at all times and sign your receipts as soon as you get them. Do this as discreetly as you can so that you can avoid preying eyes that are hungry for credit card information.

Save your receipts and keep them in a safe place. After using the receipts to check your monthly statement, destroy them immediately. Never let anyone borrow your credit card from you. Also, don’t have more credit cards than what you will actually be using. Lesser credit cards mean lesser chances of credit card fraud.

If you lose your credit card or suspect credit card fraud, report this to the credit card company as soon as possible. Credit card companies are prepared for these types of situations and can protect you, their customer, against the liabilities of credit card theft.