Did you know that there are more than 90 million credit, debit and store cards in the UK? It's a huge number and the potential for fraud is enormous.

About a third of this comes from counterfeit cards, which usually involves a practice known as 'skimming'. This is where your card is swiped in special machines that copy the data on the magnetic strip so that the information can be reproduced on a fake card. Companies are fighting back with the use of a Personal Identification Number at the point of sale. Another third of all credit card fraud comes from lost or stolen cards where the use of the card tends to be opportunistic rather than organised. Unfortunately, another huge contribution to the fraud problem occurs because the cardholder has written down their PIN and has kept it with their card in a purse or wallet that is subsequently lost or stolen!

Here are some tips to ensure that you're not a victim of credit card fraud:

• Don't keep your PIN numbers with your cards. In fact, try and memorise them - and never disclose them to anyone else.
• Keep your receipts to check them against your monthly statements so that you can report any transactions you don't recognise.
• Report all instances of lost or stolen cards immediately.