If you’ve just been a victim of credit card fraud and are wondering what to do next, here’s a breakdown of things that you’ll want to take care of right away.

• Notify Your Credit Card Companies - As soon as you discover that you’ve fallen victim to credit card fraud, contact  your credit card companies and let them know. You’ll also need to speak with their fraud department and point out the items appearing on your credit card statement that were not purchased by you. You’ll most likely be sent a form in the mail that you’ll have to sign, stating that you had no knowledge of those purchases. Your account number will change and a new card will be issued, be sure to ask the credit card representative to overnight the new card to you. Lastly, if you have any recurring billing on the account, you’ll need to update the information on file with them to reflect your new account number.
• Contact the Credit Bureaus - Call each of the 3 major credit bureaus and ask them to place a fraud alert on your account. Also, ask them to send you a copy of your credit report for review.
  • Equifax 1-800-525-6285
  • Experian 1-888-397-3742
  • TransUnion 1-800-680-7289
• Change Your Online Passwords - Unless you physically lost your credit card or had it stolen, change the passwords to all of your online accounts.

Credit card fraud is a huge problem in today’s day and age and it’s never fun to experience firsthand. Make sure you take the appropriate steps to address things as soon as you suspect you may have fallen victim and consider using a credit report monitoring service to alert you of potential red flags in the future.