Protect Yourself Against Tech Crimes

A growing trend in financial crime involves thieves re-encoding gift cards with stolen credit card data on gift cards and then spending thousands of dollars on the account holder's dime.

With financial crimes on the rise and the countless ways thieves can get easy access to your personal information, Investigative Sgt. Doug Lamz said there are ways to keep yourself safe from fraudulent credit card activity.

"Most of them," Lamz said, "involve your credit card company."

Lamz explained that most banks and credit card companies have a number of different tools you can use to monitor your accounts, but for them to be effective, you have to actually use them.

"As the consumer, you need to set up the safeguards yourself with your credit card company," Lamz said. "Be vigilant."

Safeguards Lamz discussed involve monitoring your accounts daily and setting up reminders with card services to alert you when a certain amount of money is withdrawn from your account.

"Don't wait until you get your statement at the end of the month to check on your accounts," Lamz said. "By that time, it is really late in the game."

You may want to consider changing credit card carriers if yours doesn't offer the necessary protections.

Lamz also suggests pulling your credit reports annually from all three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

"You'll be amazed at the stuff these companies know about you," he said.

Finally, and most importantly, when you see something questionable, immediately call your credit card company.

"Every time you use the card, you are putting yourself at risk," Lamz said.

What to do if you think you've become a victim of tech theft

The very first thing you should do is call your credit card company to find out if any suspicious activity has occurred.

If people other than yourself have been charging things to your credit cards, file a police report immediately so the police can start their investigation, Lamz said. It's important to cooperate with the police because you are the one who will be interacting with your financial institution.

"We can't investigate without having a certain amount of your banking information."

If your stolen financial information was used locally, Lamz it is still possible to find and arrest the culprit. But if the crime happens internationally, there is not much the police can do, other than send notifications out to other departments, Lamz said.