Women Stakeout Mailboxes Waiting For New Credit Cards: Police

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — The Lawrenceville Police Department is seeking the public's help in identifying the two women who are suspected of theft and credit card fraud.

Police say the women steal identities by reporting stolen credit cards and requesting replacements. The women then wait for delivery of the cards to the true credit card holder's home address and retrieve them from the front porch.

Police say the two women have made numerous charges at various locations in Lawrenceville and Gwinnett County.

Experts shared a few tips for preventing fraud and identity theft. These include:

• Check your credit report annualy
• Keep your ID and social security card in a secure spot
• Enable security features on phones and tablets
• Make difficult passwords and use different ones for different sites

Here is a resource page about credit card fheft and fraud.

CreditCardInsider.com offers these steps for lost or stolen credit cards:

Report Your Card as Lost or Stolen

The first thing to do is report your lost card to your card issuer, and, if you think your card has been stolen and used, to report the fraudulent use to the credit reporting agencies, creating a fraud alert. It is best to do this within 2 days. Find phone numbers and websites for major card issuers here.

What Happens after I Report My Lost Card?

After your report your card as lost or stolen, your issuer will cancel the card and then mail you a new one, with a new account number. Usually, this process will have no effect on your credit report.

When a Re-Issued Card Could Affect Your Credit Report

A re-issued card will be reported to the credit reporting agencies exactly as the previous card was reported, with the same credit limit, balance, and history. In some cases, however, a credit card issuer could report the re-issued card as a new account, with a new open date. This will decrease the average length of your credit card history, and can hurt your credit report.

To be safe, keep an eye on your credit reports after you get a card re-issued to see if you are affected by this. Contact your credit card issuer if you are concerned about this and to possibly get the situation reversed.
Learn more about what’s inside your credit report here.

Fair Credit Billing Act Limits Your Liability

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, cardholders are protected from having to pay the full cost of fraudulent credit card charges. The law limits your liability to $50, which means that’s the maximum amount you could owe the bank if someone steals your card and uses it without your permission before you’ve reported the card stolen. If you report the card stolen before any charges are made you will not be responsible for any of the charges.

Most credit card companies won’t charge you for unauthorized transactions, even if the charges were made before you reported the card stolen.

Remember, debit cards do not have these same protections as credit cards, so if your debit card is stolen you may end up losing money.

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Photo courtesy Lawrenceville Police Department