In August, 2004, Federal Trade Commission issued their findings of a recent study, which showed that nearly 25 million adults were victims of fraud.

Now, most importantly, If you are a victim of fraud, please do not feel like you did anything wrong. It happens to all of us at one point or another, as FTC’s study clearly shows. Everyone likes a magic trick, and none of us are fully capable of noticing con-artists’ slight of hand. So, if you’re a victim, take a deep breath. You’re normal.

But, there’s an old saying that goes something like this: Fool me once, shame on you…Fool me twice, shame on me!”

Here are 5 KILLER STEPS to protect yourself from Credit Card SCAMS!

1.NATIONAL NO-CALL REGISTRY. 2.TELEPHONE SOLICITATION 3.1-900 NUMBERS. 4.ANNUAL FEES, INTEREST RATES, ETC. 5.THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

1.NATIONAL NO-CALL REGISTRY:

There’s nothing more annoying then those credit card offers that you get over phone. I don’t know about you, but last thing I want to be doing, while having dinner with my 1 year old daughter and my beautiful wife, is to be annoyed by phone calls from solicitors that just want to make money off me. Legitimate or not, these calls are a nuisance. If you’re like me, and you would rather live without dealing with these calls, then go do this:

a)The FTC has created National Do-NOT-CALL registry. Go find out more information about it. The website is: http://www.donotcall.gov

b)If it makes sense, complete online form.

c)Take a deep breath, and relax. Within 30 days, list will start working for you. I can personally attest that, while solicitations have not stopped completely, they have significantly, significantly decreased.

Join FTC No-CALL-Registry, and enjoy a reduction in telephone solicitation phone calls.

2.TELEPHONE SOLICITATION:

Believe it or not, vast majority of lenders out there are legitimate. Also, believe it or not, a lot of these lenders utilize telemarketing as a method of reaching out to potential customers.

a)But beware of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Legitimate Lenders never ask for a processing fee in order to complete your application (this does not include appraisals during a real estate transaction in Escrow…We are discussing credit cards here).

b)Keep your personal information to yourself! Don’t give out bank information, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc., to someone you don’t know, on a telephone call. Use your common sense.

c)If you don’t have offer in hand, or confirmed in writing, then don’t pay. This is fraud. Who is this person on phone anyway? Get their phone number, their address, their federal tax ID number, and then tell them you’ll call back. If they’re legitimate, they’ll give it to you. If you question them, then I say trust your instincts. You’re probably right on target.

Who is this on phone? Don’t trust people you haven’t had a chance to get to know. Don’t let one enticing offer on a phone call, be your guide...

3.1-900 NUMBERS:

A 1-900 number is, of course, a phone number that charges caller per minute for making call. Whether it’s a 1-900 number, or a future manifestation of same type of telephone service, be wary of doing business this way.

a)The most common Credit Card SCAM, in all of its different forms, is called an “ADVANCE FEE LOAD SCAM”. Typically, you will find these in classified section of your local newspapers and trade magazines, and unfortunately, you’ll also see them floating around internet.

Let’s just take a brief moment to recap:

If you’ve been following along on this journey with me, learning 5 Super-Charged secrets to Credit Card Utopia, then you now know 3 very important things:

a)You now know how to take advantage of zero to low interest credit card offers.

b)You now know that there is safety in numbers, and you know magic “Who’s Who” of major credit card companies. You know that one of them, in my opinion, stands out for consumers.

c)You now know how to take a low interest credit card with a rewards program, and convert it into a money making technology that could seriously improve your financial house.

With me? Good. These are all essential foundations that you need to follow in order to live in Credit-Card Utopia with me.

In fact, you would think that there’s not much more that can be done.

Side note: I hope you are realizing power of this information.

It may seem simple, but are you doing it? No. So, be smart. Study this information, reflect on these insights, and move forward with them so you can truly benefit from this secret knowledge.

On to Secret, #4:

1)It’s very important that Utopians cover all bases, and leave no one behind.

The 3 secrets we’ve covered, really deal with those of us who have fairly good credit.

Now, if you don’t have “good” credit, please don’t discard these prior ideas.

I didn’t have “good credit” once. Who cares? How many people, small businesses, corporations, and large industrial countries, have said exact same thing?

2)So, don’t feel left out.

Move towards Credit Card Utopia as a goal to move you into action.

Our website (and many other fine websites around internet) can provide you with many, many resources to work on your debt issues, or your credit score issues, or whatever.

You might be surprised how FAST you can go from point A to point B.

(Here’s a tip: Don’t waste time. Find assistance. Don’t go at it alone.)

3)Getting back on track: Want a zero interest credit offer? Want a low-interest, no annual fee, incentive-based offer?

Well, if you’re struggling with credit or debt, then first step is to tackle this issue from a different point of view.

Give up on Visa®, MasterCard®, and AMEX®…At least “unsecured” kind, and at least for now.

There’s nothing wrong with applying, and trying, but if you’ve been turned down, there are other ways to go.

4)Secret #4, revealed in an analogy:

Do you live in a small town? If you do, you might have a small-town pub. Does everybody know your name? Does bartender know you, and know drink you like? Do you go into your pub after work, and down a stiff one, after a long day of working in coal mines? Maybe it isn’t payday yet. Do you think bartender cares? Of course not! He wants you coming in so he can move his inventory of fine beers and spirits. He knows you. So, what does he do? Let’s say this is 1800s, and there’s no such thing as “credit cards” amongst our meager coal-working small town clan. What does he do?

Right! He runs you a tab.

No interest rates, no worries, no big deal. He runs a tab. Why? Because he knows you’re good for it, and he’s moving inventory. He doesn’t care about interest, because he’s making a profit off sale of his beer. He knows where you live, and he knows you’ll pay him back in a few days when you come in for a drink after you get paid. It’s a virtual certainty.

Now YOU, small-town beer drinking coal worker, you’re perfectly fine with this. The drink costs you same whether you had cash now or later, and bartender runs you a tab, in exchange for selling you more inventory. Everyone works together.

You scratch my back, and I’ll buy some more beer.

5)This concept of free “credit” provided to purchase inventory, is not a new concept.

As you can see, it’s been around for a long, long time. However, in modern times, it has tremendous application for folks with “poor” credit issues.

The secret is that you buy merchandise (On stuff you already need, or are already buying) almost exclusively from merchants willing to give you credit at low to no interest.