A string of individuals and businesses in the surrounding counties are coming forward after falling prey to identity thieves, say the police.
These affected by the thefts detected fraudulent charges on their financial statements that occurred over the Thanksgiving holiday and include residents of Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cleveland, and Lincoln counties. As proof that this crime can happen to anyone, the Chief of Police for the Kings Mountain Police Department had reported that he has been a victim of identity theft, too.
Though the Federal Bureau of Investigation did not release any comments on the recent crimes, Crime in Charlotte (.com) recommends the following tips concerning credit cards:
- Only carry the cards you need. For most people, this is only one or two credit cards. The more you carry, the more you stand to lose if someone scans your card numbers with a card scanner.
- Opt for the card that offers more security benefits, such as a photo identification on the card.
- Don’t write down your PIN numbers on anything that’s not stored away in a very safe location.
- Do write down the toll-free numbers for your cards along with the card numbers and store this list in that very safe place. This way you will have the information you need in case your cards are stolen.
- Always check your credit card statements thoroughly each month for charges that are unaccounted for.
We hope you have a great shopping season that’s free of theft. Happy Holidays from Crime in Charlotte (.com)!
