The Slick Brasier | The Stylist Property Know-It-All

Every credit card customer must be aware of the many tricks and traps associated with fraudulent use of identity information. Thieves devise new and creative ways to extract credit card information, and the best defence is awareness of their schemes. Careful habits concerning credit card use can thwart attempts to steal valuable financial information.

1. Choose your card carefully - Many banks have well-practiced fraud departments that monitor account usage and stop fraudulent transactions before the customer knows their card information has been stolen. When seeking to open a credit card account, ask the bank about their fraud deterrent practices. These services provide peace of mind for cardholders.
2. Protect the card - Keep the card put away until the purchase has been completed by the shop assistant. When the card is visible, any electronic device can take a picture of the front of the card. Never leave the card unattended even for a moment, and keep purses and wallets secure at all times. When travelling, use the room safe and concierge security options.
3. Carry only necessary cards - Purge all old cards from the wallet annually. Lock away all cards that are not used consistently in a safe. Carry one or two credit cards on shopping trips or when travelling out of town.
4. Verify every purchase against the statement - Retain every receipt and verify each purchase against the credit card statement when it arrives. Continue researching the source of each transaction until each is validated. Report any extraneous transactions to the bank immediately. Maintain a calendar of your activities to provide information to the bank concerning your location when the card was used fraudulently.
5. Record numbers and dates - Write down every bank phone number, credit card number and expiration date from every credit card on a bright-coloured index card and store it in a safe. If the wallet or purse is stolen, use this information to contact each bank to have the cards deactivated.
6. Be aware of people near you - Shopping trips can take shoppers to unknown locations. Take notice of any curious people and put the card away and leave if anyone is too interested.
7. Watch shop assistants closely - Shop assistants are to keep their hands in full view when swiping your card. If anyone attempts to walk away from the counter with your card, stop them immediately and notify store management. Pay close attention to their subtle attempts to put your card down on the counter. If the card is left behind and the assistant does not attempt to remind you, that card may be used fraudulently.
8. Use secure websites only - All secure websites that accept credit card numbers should begin with “https” at the start of the URL. Do not enter a credit card number in a website that is not secure, and never send your details via email.
9. Avoid international transactions - Credit card transactions that are solicited by foreign entities are almost always fraudulent. Requests for credit card or bank account information are immediate indications that someone is attempting to steal your personal identity. Never give out a credit card number to anyone who approaches you first.
10. Use a credit monitoring service - While all of these actions will protect your existing credit cards, the only way to prevent someone from opening a credit card in your name is to maintain an account with a credit monitoring service. These services have become an important facet to protect personal identity by notifying the account holder of any activity that does not match their current credit pattern.

A credit cardholder can never be too cautious when protecting the card and the information it contains. While every major credit card is insured against fraud, the impact on the credit history and bank relationships can last for a long time. When consumers practice wise security habits with their card information, thieves can be thwarted in their attempt to steal personal identities. Practice these tips for every card in your possession and avoid the traps that cause headaches.

This post was brought to you by FinanceChoices.co.uk, a leading comparison website based in the UK where you can review balance transfer credit cards from a range of the top banks and credit card providers.

Remember my last blog about goodie bags? Well, in actual fact, maybe they don't always get it right!

Sometimes you do get given some right crap, end of stock stuff, but it's usually decent. The last one gave me a digital photo frame, but I couldn't get it to work. It took me ages to figure out that even with a power cord, it needed a battery - but there was no battery in the frame or included in the box or anywhere to be seen.

It's a really specific camera battery from what I can see - a lp-e5 battery usually in Canon cameras - so now I'm weighing up how much I want the frame as to whether I can actually be bothered to find a deal online and order one for it.

I shouldn't moan, it was free - but it's useless, so they might as well not have given me it!

Photo: osde8info (Flickr)

Without sounding like a complete pompous so-and-so, I do love getting goodie bags at parties.

I'm not exactly Sarah Harding getting invited to every party in Mayfair and the West End, but I get to go to a fair few and a lot of them are completely rubbish for giving out goodie bags - so stingy!

But I went to a party for an entertainment company and got the most amazing goodie bag, it's full of techie deliciousness!

I got seven different Blu-Ray movies - two of them 3D, a mini digital photo frame, an iTunes voucher, two Nintendo DS games and an R4 card, a running fitness pedometer thing and pretty nice digital watch.

It was great! And I think the actual celeb types that were there got given better goodie bags, judging by ours their's probably had iMacs or something ridiculous in them!

Photo: Yukino Miyazawa (Flickr)

You don't come across beauties like these that often in the UK, they're a dime a dozen in places like New York City, but if I come across a great loft like this I'll do everything I can to get my hands on it.

They just give you such a versatile space. This one looks like it would make a great venue, it even has a stage, but I'd turn this into a super cool apartment.

I'd create a open plan kitchen and diner, with lots of clean wood and stainless steel and one block colour like red, and match my appliances with it - this is the kind of apartment that would suit a www.bibowater.co.uk dispenser and Smeg fridge without being ostentatious.

Then I'd have a plush living space over the stage with lots of cool bookshelves, and I'd have a bedroom separate.

Oh dear, I can picture myself living there now!

Image: itsthomson (Flickr)

My brother told me to start thinking about life insurance, and while I can see it's pluses and benefits, I feel like right now it's just yet another direct debit that'll be bleeding the money out of my bank account!

I know that life insurance cover is hugely beneficial for families, but while I don't have kids I don't feel I really need it. It would protect my partner though, so it's something to think about, but I might just be better off writing a will.

I don't really relish the thought of thinking about dying and what would happen to my family and my partner if I left them behind, so I guess I'm putting it off. But it's a reality unfortunately - who knows what could happen to any of us, it's better to be prepared than leave behind a horrible mess for our loved ones.

Photo: Thomas Hawk (Flickr)