I am always amazed when I am searching Google for interesting news stories about credit cards how frequently the articles detail how the “bad guys” manage to steal credit card information. Identity theft can seem like an adult problem to many teens (unless their parents or they have been personally victimized), so I thought this quick WebQuest might bring the topic home to them.  I thought it would be interesting to provide an update to my earlier 2015 post titled (apologies to Paul Simon) “50 Ways to Swipe Your Credit Card (or Debit Card) Number.”

So, here’s the assignment:

• Google “credit cards” and go to the NEWS section to find recent stories.
• Find 4-5 articles that detail different ways that credit card theft occurs. Here are a few I came up with today:
  • Police: Taco Bell worker skimmed customer credit cards at drive through (wnep.com)
  • Burglar bought fast food after stealing firefighters’ credit cards (NJ.com)
  • Man sentenced for theft of credit cards from cars (wivb.com)
  • Mid-air credit card scammers given suspended jail sentences (Telegraph.co.uk)
• For each article, summarize the following:
  • Method for stealing credit cards
  • Steps to prevent such theft
• For classroom discussion:
  • What are the various ways that credit card (and debit cards) can be stolen?
  • How do you think the victims realized that their credit cards had been stolen (some are more obvious than others)?
  • What actions should the victims take once they found out their cards had been stolen?
  • What happens to the victims of credit card and debit card theft? Are they financially responsible for the theft that takes place?

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Liked this webquest? Be sure to check out the NGPF Lesson on Identity Theft.

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.