ATLANTA — Experts are urging people to regularly check their bank statements for fraud activity.
The Home Depot and Jimmy John's are the latest examples of companies with massive credit or debit card breaches.
Home Depot says malicious software in its check-out terminals affected 56 million customers using their debit and credit cards.
Since 2005 there have been almost two credit card breaches for every one person in America. The software programs that make it possible to hack into the servers of giant corporations often are operated thousands of miles away.
Channel 2's Diana Davis talked to David Barton, a CPA for UHY LLP.
“A lot of times, it’s Eastern European countries who do this for a living. These are very sophisticated people and they work in groups. It's not just lone gunmen who are out there operating on their own,” he said.
If you use a credit or debit card, the hackers are able to encrypt and snag your personal data and information.
“And then placing it off somewhere else that they control and then moving it offshore and that’s how they're collecting the credit card information. The days of walking into a bank with a mask and holding them at gunpoint are long gone. It’s much easier to steal money from half a world away in the middle of the night under the cover of the Internet," he said.
When you're shopping, Barton says cash is your best bet. The next safest alternative is a credit card. He says you can run into some real problems with debit cards.
“Every bank is different, but generally there's some amount $50, $100 that you could be liable for,” Barton said.
It’s more important now than ever to regularly check your credit card statements and your bank statements.
“If it’s a transaction you don't remember, even if its $10, immediately report that because chances are, your number has been sold,” Barton said.