You get your credit card bill every month...go over it. And if all looks kosher, you pay it.
"But what if there's a really small charge... maybe it's just a few cents, you look at it and can't verify it. What are you going to do?
Well, if you're like most Americans, you're probably just going to pay it. What else would you do? And that's exactly what an international ring of thieves was hoping you'd do."
They ripped off 10 million dollars simply by setting up dummy companies, then charging small amounts to hundreds of thousands of credit cards.
Most consumers either didn't notice the charges on their bills or didn't seek chargebacks because of the small amounts - charges ranged from 20 cents to $10.
How do you keep this from happening to you? Here are three tips:
First, keep all credit card receipts. Put them in an envelope every time you use your card. When your bill comes in, check them against it.
Is it too much hassle to deal with an entire month's worth of receipts all at once? Fine, don't do that then.
Check it more often, go online check it weekly or more often if you want.
Tip three? If there's a charge you can't verify, don't pay it. Dispute it - even if it's small.
One final tip, when you go through your bills every month, take your time.
These crooks are counting on you rushing through it and not paying attention to detail...don't give them that satisfaction.
That's one way to avoid ripoffs but I've got a whole bunch more. They're right here at moneytalksnews.com. I'm Stacy Johnson.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKGBT