- Credit cards are just like a loan-you have to pay what you
owe.
- Keep track of how much you spend. Remember that incidental
and impulse purchases add up fast.
- Save your receipts. Compare them with your monthly bill.
Promptly report problems to the company that issued the card.
- Never lend your card to anyone.
- Owing more than you can repay can damage your credit
rating. That can make it hard to finance a car, rent an apartment, get insurance-even get
a job.
- Pay your bill on time, and in full when possible. If you
don't, you'll have to pay finance charges on the unpaid balance-and it takes forever to
get caught up if you just pay the minimum.
Federal law limits your liability for
unauthorized charges to $50 per card.
The FTC works for the consumer to
prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the
marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and
avoid them. To file a
complaint or to get free information
on consumer issues, visit
www.ftc.gov or
call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The
FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related
complaints into
Consumer Sentinel, a
secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law
enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
|
|
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION |
FOR THE CONSUMER |
|
1-877-FTC-HELP |
www.ftc.gov |
|
July 1999 |