Calaveras EnterpriseFront Page Local News School News Club News Business News Sports Crime Obituaries Multimedia Place an Ad Online Lodestar Magazine Photo Galleries Columns Letters to the Editor Submit a Letter Announcements Monday, December 22, 2008 News | Sports | Classifieds | Calendar | Special Sections | Opinion | Contact Us | Local Links | Real Estate | Autos and RVs | Groceries News Obits Advanced Search • Archives E-Edition E-Edition Log In Bulletin Board Credit card fraud crime prevention advisory Email this story | Print this story Posted: Friday, December 19, 2008 12:32 PM CST The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving reports of increased attempts to obtain citizen’s credit card information for fraudulent purposes. Many residents throughout the county have recently received phone calls by individuals posing as employees of credit card companies or financial institutions. These callers ask that people “verify” their credit card information. The Sheriff’s Office warns that credit card companies and financial institutions do not initiation calls or E-mails requesting customers to “update” or “verify” credit card information. Citizens are advised to not the caller ID number and ask for the person’s name and employee number. Next, end the conversation, an phone the credit card issuer’s 800 number to report the attempt to gain information to the financial institution. In order to help prevent credit card fraud, the Sheriff’s Office is also providing the following list of precautions: Do businesses only with companies you know. Do not give out your credit card number to make a purchase or reservation unless you initiated the transaction. Shop only at secure websites that use encryption software to transfer data from your computer to the merchant and that have strong privacy and security policies. Never give your credit cards to someone else to use on your behalf. Watch your credit card after giving it to store clerks to protect against extra imprints being made. Destroy any carbons. Do no discard into a trash container at the purchase counter. Protect your wallet or purse, especially when traveling in crowded situations. If you receive pre-approved credit card offers in the mail, do not discard them without shredding them first. If you are expecting new credit card offers in the mail and they do not arrive, or you do not receive your statement at the expected time, call the credit card issuer immediately. Check your credit card bills carefully each month. If you discover purchases your did not make, contact the credit card company to file a dispute claim and close the account. Obtain a copy of your credit report at least once a year and review it for any unexpected activity. Report any irregularities to the three major credit bureaus: Equifax (www.equifax.com), Experian (www.experian.com) and Trans Union (www.transunion.com). Comment (No comments posted.) Comments are posted after review by the Web master. They represent the opinion of the commenting party. While we encourage them as a way to further community discussion of important public topics, we reserve the right to reject or edit them. How do I find my comments later? Articles change daily on our Web site. Please make a note of the title of the article you have commented on. If you wish to read other people comments, once the article is taken down, do an archive search by title to locate the comments that apply to that story. We appreciate your comments and participation on our Web site. Please refrain from attaching links that go to unrelated sites as these will not be posted. In order to post comments you will also need to provide your full name and the city or town of your mailing address (such as "Murphys, CA.")in the boxes below. We are requiring the same information for internet postings as letters to the editor in the Enterprise to ensure that each writer takes personal responsibility for what they say in this public forum. The Calaveras Enterprise is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized Calaveras Enterprise spokespersons. Comments are limited to 200 words or less. Full Name: City or Town: (optional) Comments: Current Word Count: Image Verification: PollQuestion courtesy of Don Urbanus. Are you: Naughty Nice More nice than naughty More naughty than nice Mind your own business Santa View Results Would you like to comment on this poll question? Click Here Stocks Symbol Lookup Nasdaq NYSE S&P 500 Nasdaq1532.17 -32.15(-2.06%) NYSE5541.71 -74.41(-1.32%) S&P 500875.80 -12.08(-1.36%) AMEX1333.32 -8.12(-0.61%) RUS 2K471.04 -15.22(-3.13%) Crude Oil41.55 -1.32(-3.08%) 30YR Yield2.62 +0.06(+2.32%) Quotes delayed at least 20 mins. Market Summary Market Movers My Watchlist Copyright © 2008 Calaveras Enterprise 15 N. Main Street, P.O. Box 1197, San Andreas, CA 95249