Global Coverage: Credit cards safe
Shoppers need not panic in the wake of one of the world's largest credit card information thefts.
But consumer advocates say that using a credit card protects customers much better than debit cards, checks, or cash...both online and in stores. Manoush Zomorodi reports.
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The news that millions of T.J. Maxx shoppers had their credit card information stolen may give all credit card users pause. How concerned and cautious do shoppers need to be when wielding plastic at the check-out counter, online or even at their local restaurant? Anthony Giorgianni, an editor at Consumer Reports says there’s really no need to panic.
“Credit cards, actually, are the best way to make a purchase, assuming you paying the bill off every month. Every time you use a credit card, you have all these federal protections against being charged for purchases that you didn’t make, and you would even have protections in some cases that give you the ability to return merchandise that is substandard or isn’t what you’ve ordered, for example. So I think the rule here is that we should not allow this incident as bad as it is to prevent us from using credit cards.”
But consumers are still at the mercy of retailers. Company should erase customer data promptly, but many hold on to that information for marketing purposes.
It’s also difficult for consumers to know whether companies are sufficiently encrypting and protecting their data.
“And that’s something we need to look at, but it certainly does raise a serious question: maybe there has to been some regulation in this area. The main thing you need to do is make sure that you look at your credit card receipts or debit card receipts. You have to check your statement and you have to complain right away and it’s best do it in writing.”
Anthony say fraud loses to credit and debit accounts in the US totaled 20 billion dollars in 2006, but the T.J. Maxx heist might actually be good news for one company. GratisCard is the first anonymous credit card with no name, numbers or data stored on it. It launches at April 1st, and could prove attractive shoppers who have been the victims of fraud.