Safeguard Your Credit

Your credit card provides you with valuable purchasing power and convenience. To purchase an amazing number of goods and services, all you need to do is present your card and sign a receipt. Credit card protection is important because this purchasing power and convenience also make your card that much more appealing to criminals looking to take advantage of your credit.

Three things you can do to keep your credit out of harm's way.

1. Protect your credit card and your account number.

Protect your credit card as you would the key to your home. When receiving a new or replacement credit card, sign the back immediately. Keep it and any duplicate credit cards in a secure place where you would know if they were missing.

Never leave your credit card with someone as a "security deposit". And if you're expecting a new or replacement credit card, keep a sharp eye on the mail.

Since a thief can just as easily make purchases with only your account number and expiration date, it's a good idea to take all receipts and carbons with you, especially from places like automated banking machines (ABMs), supermarkets and self-service gasoline pumps.

Avoid disposing of receipts or old credit card statements in public trash containers.

2. Always keep your personal information with you.

With the exception of mail-order companies, merchants should never require your address or telephone number to complete a transaction.

Avoid using your credit card as personal identification. Never let someone put your credit card number on a cheque or any other document.

If your account has a personal identification number (PIN) for use at ABM locations, don't write it down – memorize it. It's also a good idea not to pick an obvious PIN, like your address, phone number, or date of birth.

3. Review your statements carefully.

Billing errors can happen. So it's important to save your receipts and credit card slips and compare them to your monthly statements. File your statements in a secure place for future reference. If you don't keep your statements, destroy them before throwing them away.

If you do discover an error on your statement (like an unauthorized charge or purchase), contact us immediately for credit card protection.