Yes, you love them and trust them to some extent, and when it comes to financial matters, it’s really
much wiser to keep certain affectionate emotions out of them.

It’s said that all families have issues and money issues at that, and so to be safe and to be fair, establish a boundary between the people you know and your credit cards.

So who are the people that could possibly have access to your cards?

Number one on the list would be yourself !  You are going to have to be mindful of the places that you put your cards in. If you are carrying several cards, make sure that you have a safe place where you keep your passwords (in case you are not retentive). Also, experts say to change passwords every once in a while. And when it comes to bills, you also have to remember when the due dates are. You don’t want to pay interest and penalty fees just because you forgot when the deadline is. Finally, stop yourself from divulging your passwords or account information to people you care about, that is if you don’t trust them all that much.

Second would be your family. Your spouse and your children. This maybe a tricky situation, but if it helps to know according to the Identity Fraud Survey Report, there were at least 13% of identity theft that were committed to loved ones by their loved ones in 2010.

Your house help, secretary or errand people. Although you trust them to have things done for you, you should never ever give them your account information, unless in life or death situations and only if it’s necessary, or if they’re co-signers and authorized users of your card.

In line with helps, the service people at the places that you frequent like groceries and restaurants. To pay for your purchase, you usually hand them your card. Be vigilant about their activity as there is such a device that can get information from your card. It’s small electronic gadget that can capture and read the magnetic strip on your card and it takes very little time to accomplish the crime.

Entities calling you and emailing you regarding your account. These people calling your house would sound as credible and as professional as they can, but don’t be fooled. Be wary of anybody that’s presented themselves as a representative of the government, your bank and anything that pertains to your account. Be careful also of those that say that your account has been compromised and therefore need for you to supply your account information. If the person is a legitimate representative of the government or your bank, they would have all the information they need on your account. If you were alarmed by their visit though and feel like checking up on your account, just call your bank directly and ask your questions.

Part of this people calling you would be debt collectors. Again, all the information they need to know about you with regards to debt collection, they already know and need not ask you because it was the original creditor that assigned your account on to them. Debt relief negotiators or credit counselors. If you’ve enrolled in a debt relief program, a legitimate company would not ask for your account information. They would instead set up a third party financial handling company (with your approval) to handle your deposits and payments to the creditor. It’s going to be a bank to bank transaction, as per FTC rule. Online never entertain pop ups and warning messages that are asking you to input personal information before you see what they’re offering. The rule should always be if you need something, may it be a product or service, you’re the one that’s supposed to contact the parties concerned and not the other way around.