Credit Card Stimulus

Identity theft topped 2009’s list of customer complaints released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It most frequently took the form of credit card fraud.

The report analyzed the complaints by type and location. Identity theft accounted for 278,078 complaints, or 21 percent of the total. The state with the most identity theft complaints was California, with 42,209. Florida, Arizona and Texas reported the highest number of such complaints per capita.

Third-party and creditor debt collection and Internet services also generated large ..read more

Alleged debit card fraudster Florin Necula was confronted with some incriminating evidence which was tough to swallow, but he found a way… by literally swallowing it!

The alleged events actually occurred back in January, but they’re just coming to light now, thanks to a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit.

New York City resident Florin Necula and his accomplices are accused of running a card skimming operation involving local ATMs. Allegedly, they rigged the ATMs with credit card readers; when a customer inserted ..read more

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my experience of leaving a box of important paper files in the rain. The papers got soaked and I spent several days spreading them out on the floor to dry. This experience made me resolve to digitize my paper documents so this wouldn’t happen again. I started researching my options. I found three potential solutions that appealed to me:

1. Shoeboxed.com is a mail-in service that scans your receipts, product warranties, business cards ..read more

While most provisions of the Credit CARD Act have gone into effect, there are a couple of key provisions that still have yet to be implemented. The two biggest outstanding issues are the provisions of the Credit CARD Act that describe limits on penalty fees, as well as the requirement that issuers reevalute accounts that have been subject to rate increases periodically to determine whether those rates should go back down. These are scheduled to take effect August 22, 2010, ..read more

As the growing number of people experiencing some sort of credit card fraud and identity theft grows drastically year after year, many people have wondered what factors can determine the likelyhood of who will be next. While there is no exact answer, studies have been conducted and one of the most recent has important information on what things may factor into whether you are may be targeted.

According to an article entitled "New Study Profiles Credit Card Fraud Victims" Experian has ..read more

When it comes to the types of credit cards that seem to be garnering the attention of prospective cardholders today, there is no surprise that reward cards are at the top of the list. Even while many are searching far and wide for low interest credit cards, rewards still are finding their way into pocketbooks mainly due to the fact that cardholders are receiving cash among other things for using their plastic to make purchase they were going to make ..read more

John Ulzheimer, President of Consumer Education for Credit.com, appeared on Fox Business this week to explain how canceling credit cards can hurt your credit scores. The interview gives a great visual explanation of how closing one credit card account can impact your total revolving utilization and lower your scores.

John also goes into detail on why credit avoidance is a bad idea and how the best strategy for managing credit and credit cards is to learn how to manage and ..read more

What started out as simple and intriguing ways to get rid of your credit card and move your money somewhere else is now something that has spawned "credit card revolts" around the country.  According to an article entitled "Banks, Credit Card Issuers Face Simmering Uprising", the most recent action of the ever-growing credit card revolt is that of a movement entitled, "Move Your Money". Under this campaign, organizers are utilizing the anger that millions have toward big banks and credit ..read more

Even with the second phase of the new law going into effect late last month, there are plenty of things that cardholders must still actively manage in order to make sure that they are not surprised when they get their credit card statement or try to make a purchase.

One important aspect that cardholders must now be more aware of is their credit limit, and any changes that have occurred pertaining to that limit. Unlike other factors such as interest rates, ..read more

Q: I just came out my bankruptcy last September. What is the best credit card after bankruptcy?

A: Thanks for your email Mike. With today’s economy, unfortunately bankruptcy has been almost inevitable for quite a few people in America. Whether it’s due to a job loss or catastrophic medical bills, it’s a very real scenario that most of us are susceptible to. So please don’t beat yourself up over it, because the odds are you were not at a fault. So ..read more