No one is immune to credit card fraud--not even the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. John Roberts was seen paying for coffee in cash at a local Starbucks because he had to cancel his credit cards. A member of The Huffington Post also overheard Roberts at a barber shop explaining the situation to someone else in the shop. Roberts suggested that the theft was being traced back to Kentucky.
This case of credit card theft is probably being more heavily tracked than most, but it proves that no one is safe from fraudulent behavior. Roberts corrected his problem right away, protecting himself and his money at the same time.
Here are some steps you can take if you ever fall victim to credit card fraud:
- Keep an accurate log of your credit card charges, and compare their totals against your credit card's available balance.
- If your available balance seems low, check the list of charges against the ones on the card and note any that seem out of place.
- Report any issues you have with your card immediately after you notice them. Most credit card companies will reverse the charges so you do not have to pay for them.
- Cancel the card that you are having issues with, and have the credit card company send you out a new card to use.
- Keep some cash or money in your bank account as backup, in case this ever happens again. You might have to use that extra money while you wait for your new card to arrive.
Hopefully you never end up in Roberts' situation, but it can't hurt to be prepared for it. Monitor your accounts closely, and you will be able to catch a problem as soon as it arises.
