Personal finance tips: How to catch counterfeit goods online, and more

Three top pieces of financial advice — from protecting your credit cards to avoiding common investment errors.

How to protect your credit cards

“Ever wonder how your credit card could have been used to buy cellphones in Cleveland when you just swiped it at your grocery store an hour ago?” asked Christine DiGangi at Credit.com. It actually isn’t difficult for thieves to “manufacture fake cards” with stolen data and go on spending binges. And though it’s possible that your data might be stolen by an “ATM that has been tampered with” or a dishonest restaurant server, it’s far more likely your card will be compromised “in one of those massive data breaches you’ve been reading about recently.” You can’t prevent all theft, but you’ll be more protected by using only secure payment websites, never storing payment information in your Web browser, and checking your account activity daily.

 

http://theweek.com/article/index/269155/personal-finance-tips-how-to-catch-counterfeit-goods-online-and-more