Fraud is Everywhere

Whenever a person leaves their home, they don’t think about their identity being stolen, their credit card information being hacked from a grocery store or someone digging through their thrash to find security information. Most of the time, people don’t even think twice before sliding their card at the gas station or handing their credit card to a server at a restaurant. Many people feel safe and rarely think about anyone ever stealing their identity or using their personal information illegally.

How can a person be safe when businesses across the country have reported the theft of millions of credit card information and other personal information of their consumers? Tampa Tribune published an article about The Hannaford Bros. supermarket chain asking their customers to be on fraud alert due to a security breach that led to the theft of 4.2 million credit and debit card numbers. The amount of stores involved include Hannaford stores in the Northeast and 106 Sweetbay stores in Florida. So far, about 1,800 cases of fraud have been linked to the theft and a representative from the company had to say this:

But Smith said "everything is safe" at Sweetbay stores. "This was a professional, coordinated attack that is being investigated by authorities," he said. "The hole has been patched. We have state-of-the-art systems in place and our stores are as safe as any retailer. Customers should absolutely feel safe shopping at our stores and using credit and debit cards."

Does anyone shop at Sweetbay? I do and I hate to think that my credit card information has possibly been stolen. After reading this article, I found myself at Sweetbay the next day purchasing groceries. Before I began my shopping, I took the extra time to go to my bank ATM and withdraw money to purchase those items. No way did I feel safe using any card to buy anything from the store, although they say they have the matter under control and state-of-the-art systems. How can a person feel safe when their personal information is stolen and the company says they have state-of-the-art systems? If they had that system at the beginning, how did the theft come to be? I am a little perplexed.

For people who don’t shop at Sweetbay, you should still be aware because your credit or debit card information can be stolen from anywhere. Here are a few tips from the Federal Trade Commission to help avoid fraud. Some tips include signing your cards as soon as they arrive, carrying your cards separately from your wallet in a business card holder, or another small pouch, notifying card companies in advance of a change of address and keeping an eye on your card during the transaction. One DON’T tip is not to give out your account number over the phone unless you're making the call to a company you know is reputable. If you have questions about a company, check it out with your local consumer protection office or Better Business Bureau.

If you do use steps to avoid fraud and you still don’t feel safe about your personal information being stolen, you can put a fraud alert on your credit file. Alerts start at 90 days and can be placed on a credit file for up to seven years. If you’re considering this option, the Fight Identity Theft website teaches you how to add a fraud alert to your credit file. This one thing could save you thousands of dollars.

With the number of ways for people to steal personal information increasing, there are no ways to completely stop this type of theft. All people can do is keep themselves safe by becoming aware.