Credit Cards and Identity Theft

As more and more Americans become reliant on credit cards in their daily life, identity theft is growing. Identity theft is when someone uses your personal information without permission. They can obtain credit or use your existing credit to put you in a serious financial crisis. Prepaid credit cards may be an option for someone who wants to avoid identity theft.

Prepaid credit cards are a credit card that you add a certain amount of money to. These cards do not have a set limit, but rather your spending is based on how much money you put on the card. The idea is that you can use the card anywhere credit cards are excepted, but without the worries of debt. You do not get charged interest charges and can not exceed your spending limit. These cards are not tied to a bank account and you do not get monthly bills. This makes prepaid credit cards virtually unworthy an identity thief's time.

If you are approached by someone trying to steal your identity you can feel protected with your prepaid credit card. Most of the time these thieves try to get your credit card number so they can then use it to make purchases. Even if they do get your credit card number they still can only use the amount of money you have on the card. They can not go on a crazy spending spree and since the card is not attached to any bank accounts, they can not access your other financial information. This protection doesn't come with debit cards or regular credit cards.

Using prepaid credit cards everyday or just for occasions, like traveling, when you could be more prone to identity theft is an overall good idea. Many thief's are looking for an easy target, but if you play it smart you won't be that target.