Hack-proof your holiday shopping

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Ed Burns and his wife returned from their vacation to find letters piling up from creditors. They were stunned to find out their credit card number had been stolen. "It's like somebody robbed us and I don't know who it is and who to report it to," said Burns. Since then, they've spent countless hours on the phone trying to repair the damage. The Burns believe their information was stolen as part of the breach on major retailers during last year's holiday shopping season. They're doing things differently now: "We've closed all of our credit cards. We pay everything cash."

Ironically, Burns works for the Better Business Bureau... and is usually helping clients avoid getting scammed. The BBB is warning 'tis the season for hackers and identity thieves. But BBB president Blair Looney says there's no need to stop shopping; just shop smarter, starting with using the "right" type of card. Most credit cards, like Visa, carry zero liability for fraudulent charges. "It's always better to use to your credit card than your debit card. A debit card is a direct link to your bank account. And I can empty your account lickety split."

Also, Looney advises, be wary of public Wi-Fi while shopping or banking. "Don't be sitting at your favorite coffee shop with four other people on computers using the same Wi-Fi and making your private information available." And when shopping online, look for the "https" at checkout - that means secured. Fraudulent websites often lure customers with deals that sound too good to be true, only to harvest your credit card and personal information.

Despite all those precautions, what if a breach occurs? At Fresno County Federal Credit Union, that's exactly what they're watching for. Vice President of Marketing, Keri Bennitt explains, "We have a really robust monitoring system that monitors the transactions and trends of our members so that If we see anything out of the norm we contact the member immediately." But even with that extra set of eyes, there's no substitute for your own: "Monitoring your own account is really one of the best defenses that there is. And nowadays so many financial institutions have online banking and mobile banking so really finding out what's going on in your accounts is really quick and easy." Thieves usually start with small charges to see if you notice, and escalate to bigger purchases. If you see something suspicious report it to your financial institution immediately.