Identity theft is becoming a growing problem in the world of credit cards and bank accounts today. Even with all the security we are given by precautions that the credit card companies and department stores take, identity thieves have learned to adapt to it and work around it so that they can still make a mess of your finances. You can never have enough protection against identity theft in the world today.

So how do you improve the security you are being guarded by against identity theft? What are some extra precautions that you yourself can make to insure that you are doing what is necessary to keep strangers from making purchases on your credit card? Here is a suggestion that is becoming more and more popular in the updated world of credit card security:

Don’t Sign Your Card

Your credit card has a little strip on the back of it where you normally sign your name. When you make purchases, this verifies that you are actually the person whose name is posted on the credit card, and that the particular signature matches the one you give when you make the purchase. However, many signatures can easily be copied by someone who has gotten a hold of your credit card. How is the person making the transaction supposed to know whether or not the person signing the receipt or the digital touch pad is the same person who signed the back of the credit card or not?

Instead of using your signature on the back of your credit card, which anyone could easily get a hold of and forge, many people are updating their security against identity theft by writing, “Please Check ID”. By doing this, they allow for the cashier to verify that the person signing the receipt is the person who actually owns the credit card even better. This is because they can identify not only your signature on something like your driver’s license, but they can also match your photo to the face standing in front of them.

There are few times when people have run into problems with this procedure. The only thing it will really cost you is a few more seconds for the clerk to check your ID. Still, would this not be considered a good trade of for a little extra protection against identity theft?

However, cashiers will often not even check the back of the credit card to verify a signature. Sometimes they will not even ask for your ID. In cases like these, it is the poor conduct of the marketing system that can increase your chances of getting strange and unaccountable charges racked up on your credit card.

If Your Card is Stolen…

1. Immediately call the credit card company. As soon as you find out that your credit card has been stolen, call your lender and get a balance transfer as soon as possible.

2. Contact the police. File a report immediately. It’s good to document what action you took after your card was stolen, also.