Credit card fraud is highly publicized in this age and you should know what it looks like. This is the most common and simplest form of identity theft. All it would take is someone else's name, address, date of birth and Social Security number. With all the relevant information about a person you can get loans and open new bank accounts. Additionally, someone could use the person's existing bank account. Almost anything can be accomplished with someone else's information. Simple information deemed unimportant could turn out to be very valuable information to a person committing credit card fraud or identity theft. A simple definition of credit card fraud is the illegal obtaining of goods, funds, or services by deceptive means. The time it takes to discover this type of fraud can vary. Credit card fraud, better known as identity theft, can cause great disruption in a person or family's life by robbing them of a sense of security. Credit card fraud doesn't necessarily mean a person has to own the card; the only thing a person really needs to have is the card number, expiration date, and the three-digit card verification number on the back with the cardholder's name. In most cases of credit card fraud, the person committing the fraud knows quite well the person and address to which the bill is sent. That said, when it comes to your or your family's finances, be careful. Someone you think you know and trust can easily steal your credit card information or even personal information to use for their own personal gain. Credit card fraud is as simple as ordering something over the Internet or over the phone. A person can make a copy of your card and use it with little, or no, ...... half of card ...... credit card fraud The amount of time it takes to discover the crime can vary. When the card itself is stolen, the theft can be established quickly, but in cases where a person's personal information has been stolen, this can take much longer. If only a person's credit card information is stolen, the consumer is likely to notice the illegal charges on their next bank statement, but if the theft extends to an individual's identity, then a perpetrator using a separate address could be able to completely prevent discovery of the crime for an indefinite period of time. (1995-2012 HG.org-HGExperts.com) Works Cited http://theworldeconomy.info/article/avoid-credit-card-fraud/http://www.combat-identity-theft.com/what-is- credit -card-fraud.htmlhttp://people.exeter.ac.uk/whatupman/undergrad/owsylves/page3.htmlhttp://www.hg.org/credit-card-fraud.html