by Joseph Kenny | 10/12/09

You know there are many ways to help protect yourself from credit card fraud or the theft of your credit card information. You know to be careful with your card and to not let it out of your sight for long. You know to only use it online when you are sure that a website is safe.

You know many tools to help keep your credit card information safe. What you may not know is that your credit card statements are some of the best anti-fraud tools at your disposal.

Be Aware Of Your Statements

Before you start thinking about being aware of what is on your statements, you want to be aware of your statements themselves. This begins with knowing the approximate time each month that you receive your statement. If you do not receive your statement at the regularly scheduled time then this could be a red flag. It is possible that your statement was intercepted and stolen en route to you or that your statements may have been rerouted to a new address.

To determine when you should expect your next statement, just pull out your last statement. The closing date listed on your account is a good indicator that you will probably receive your statement a week after this closing date. If you wish to bypass the risk of your statements being intercepted before they get to you then you can sign up for paperless billing. This means that you will receive an email letting you know when you can go to view your latest bill online.

Know The Charges On Your Statements

The ideal situation is that you would be able to match up receipts to each and every charge on your statement. If this is not possible or just not feasible then you can perform a more cursory examination. At the very least take the time to make sure that all the charges are in the approximate range of how much you would spend at establishments where you would spend money. If you come across any suspect charges then take a moment to make sure that the charge is not one of yours, but do not wait too long. You want to address charges that should not be on your statement as soon as possible.

Address Erroneous Charges On Your Statements

You want to address erroneous charges on your statements as soon as possible, the sooner the better actually. It is easier to clearly discuss charges that were on a recent statement than on one that is not current.

If you discover charges that you know did not come from you then you can contact your credit card company to address the issue. You can call and then follow up in writing if the issue is not taken care of immediately. You want to protect yourself from charges that you did not make, and this is the best way to do just that.

You can use your credit card statements to protect yourself. By making sure that you receive your statements on time, you review them for any errors, and that you follow up on any errors promptly you can ensure that you will not be stuck paying for charges you did not make. You will also be alerted to the possibility that someone may be planning to make charges using your credit card information again.