First, don’t panic! Getting your credit card stolen happens. And it’s one of the beauties of having a credit card. Most banks are super easy to work with if you think your credit card number was stolen. They will work with you to remedy the situation as quickly, safely, and securely as possible.
Here is what you need to do if you think your credit card number has been compromised:
1) Lock your credit card
If you think your card number has been stolen either virtually or physically, immediately go into your banking app and “lock” your card. Fraudsters will sometimes try to charge a small amount first, before attempting a much larger amount. If you know the charge was not made by you, locking it will prevent any future charges.
2) Call the number on the back of your credit card
The safest way to contact your bank about the fraud is through the number on the back of your card. I do not recommend looking up customer service numbers online. There are too many bank scams happening right now.
3) Request information about the charge and merchant
Typically, your credit card company will give you as much information as they can see on their end so you can research more about the charge. You can also ask how the charge was made (e.g. in person or online). Recently I had a fraudulent charge, and I knew it was fraud since apparently the card was typed in manually 8 minutes prior to the charge going through which was impossible as I was not online.
4) Request a new card (and for it to be expedited)
Most banks will force you to close your current card number anyway and send you a new card. Some banks offer expedited delivery for the card. Even if they don’t offer, I highly encourage you to ask for expedited delivery because most banks will do it free of charge.
Hopefully this never happens to you, but if it does, I hope this was helpful!
Let’s wander wiser together.
