Victim of stolen credit card seeks protection

DEAR HARRY: I am among the zillions whose credit-card info has been stolen from retailers. It's happened to me twice in the past six months.

These thefts never bothered me until a friend got hurt with stolen identity. How do I go about protecting myself from stolen identity and unauthorized charges?

Should I stick to cash-only purchasing?

WHAT HARRY SAYS: You don't have to go for cash-only arrangements. Be sure to get those free credit reports. Get one every four months to be sure of no suspicious entries. Look out for anyone trying to trick you into revealing additional personal information like your Social Security number, date of birth, old addresses, etc.

These fraudsters usually use the telephone and claim to be legitimate business or government representatives. On the day you are notified of the compromised account, contact your credit-card issuers to request new cards with new encrypted ID information.

Be sure to keep an eye on your bank statements and charges to your cards. Request that your card issuers notify you immediately of charges in excess of a certain amount or made anyplace but your local area. Notify your issuer immediately if you find any such items.

Stay on this system of high alert for at least six months.

Let's hope that some smart programmer comes up with a system to prevent such disclosures.