This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

5 Things About Credit Fraud

Find out how to keep your information safe.

An Old Mill Road resident reported that someone had fraudulently used his American Express credit card account last week. two other Franklin Lakes residents were victims of credit card fraud as well. Here's five things you should know to protect yourself from credit fraud:


1. Thieves can steal your debit card information at the ATM. In a practice known as skimming, criminals can put a card-reading machine over the slot of the ATM and record your pin number. The card readers can also be used by dishonest employees at otherwise legitimate businesses, so it's always a good idea to watch for anything unusual.

2. An African prince does not need your help. Emails from strangers asking you to help them recover money or claiming that you won a lottery are always a scam. Even if they send you money first, it is from another stolen account. As soon as the other victim realizes their account has been breached and report it to the bank, the money will be taken back from you, usually after you already passed your own money and bank account information along to the scammer.

Find out what's happening in Wyckoffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


3. Don't make purchases over the phone unless you make the call. If a telemarketer calls and offers something you would like to buy, get the number where you can call back and check online to see if the number is legitimate. If you suspect it's a scam, report the call to the FTC.


4. The FBI keeps track of new scams. You can check their website to check out the ways that criminals are trying to trick you. They also have a lot of great information on how to protect yourself from thieves.

Find out what's happening in Wyckoffwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


5. Keep your information safe. Shred any documents with your credit card or social security number on them and always make sure your computer is virus-free. Hackers can easily get credit card information from a computer that isn't secure.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.