 TITLE: Is It Safe to Store My Credit Card Information Online? CONTENT: What to Do if You Suspect Credit Card Fraud\n-------------------------------------------\nIf you think your credit card has been used fraudulently, rest assured that credit cards come with certain legal protections that debit cards don't. Federal law says you aren't responsible for any more than $50 of a fraudulent credit card purchase, and many issuers actually have $0 liability policies in place.\nIn other words, if your card information is stolen and used for unauthorized purchases, you typically won't be required to pay anything for them. However, you should take these steps if you're a credit card fraud victim to protect your identity and finances:\n1.  Contact your credit card issuer. Let them know immediately that the card has been compromised. They will cancel the card and issue you a new one with different numbers. If you have automatic payments set up, be sure to update your payment information once you get your new card to avoid missing payments.\n2.  Change your passwords. If your credit card information was stolen through a data breach, changing your password can help secure your other digital accounts, especially if you use the same passwords for multiple accounts.\n3.  Check your bank account statements. Keep an eye out for additional fraudulent purchases that pop up on that or any other accounts.\n4.  Monitor your credit. Be sure to look out for unauthorized activity such as accounts opened in your name without your consent. It's possible the credit card fraud was an isolated incident, but in some cases it's part of a larger identity theft scheme. Fraudsters may try to open other new financial accounts in your name, incur debt and never pay it off, which can harm your credit if left unaddressed.\n5.  Consider a fraud alert. Putting a fraud alert on your credit report will ask creditors to authorize your identity before approving any new accounts. This helps prevent criminals from opening accounts in your name without your permission. END