To whom should I report fraud on both of my credit cards?

Question

I have two credit cards with separate banks. In the last two weeks, I've had one fraudulent charge on each of them. Both fraudulent charges were from businesses in the same city, that is not where I reside, and where I have not traveled in some time. This is making me worried that a single person has had access to both of my credit cards, and they have access to further information of mine that they might use to cause further harm. Since it probably matters, I'm a US resident.

I've already reported the individual fraud cases to the banks for the cards, and I've checked my credit report, which was clean. Are there any other places I should report what's happened, to try to prevent any further damage?

Answer 1

First thing to do when you notice a credit card fraud is to call the respective banks who issues the credit card and most banks immediately (as far as my experience goes - twice) they will cancel the credit card and issue a new card with different number.

Your credit card account will remain the same, no effect on credit score as the account is still active, its just the credit card number is changed.

If you are more concerned about Identity Theft, there are two further options you can pursue.

• Place a Fraud Alert : Ask 1 of the 3 credit reporting companies to put a fraud alert on your credit report. They must tell the other 2 companies. An initial fraud alert can make it harder for an identity thief to open more accounts in your name. The alert lasts 90 days but you can renew it. - as per Federal Trade Commission

• Credit Freeze : If you’re concerned about identity theft, those reported mega-data breaches, or someone gaining access to your credit report without your permission, you might consider placing a credit freeze on your report. - as per Federal Trade Commission

Answer 2

You need to run a virus scan on your computers to make sure you do not have a key-logger program running on either. I would also think about designating one old computer to only access your bank accounts and not do anything but that.

If your computer is infected then every time you login your credit cards can be compromised.