One of the more recent cases of credit card theft, which was reported earlier this month, involved a female student who believed a roommate or close friend took her card, make fraudulent purchases, and returned it later in the week.

MSU Federal Credit Union Vice President of Corporate Relations Sarah Bohan also advised students not to keep their cards in available spaces where they could be easily taken.

In a second case of credit card fraud involving an MSU student this month, the student did not report their card stolen until after multiple fraudulent purchases were made. If a student does discover their cards have been compromised, Bohan said the most important thing to do is contact the student’s financial institution as soon as possible.

“Usually they’ll ask you to file a police report, then proceed with locking the cards, reissuing new ones, and they will indicate for you to monitor your accounts and transactions,” Bohan said. “Moving forward, they would help with safeguarding the account, whether it be with password protection or otherwise.”

In addition, Bohan said many students also become victims to phishing scams, in which perpetrators will attempt to gain access to personal information via email.

“These are typically fraudulent. A respectable institution would not send an email requesting information they already know,” she said.

If a student isn’t sure if an email is legitimate, they should contact their financial institution for clarification.

In addition, Bohan said perpetrators will sometimes sell ATM or debit cards they find, making it important for students to block or cancel lost and stolen cards as soon as they notice they are missing.