Emily Sabaka’s credit card was hacked last year, and she still does not know how it happened.

“It was annoying because charges just started showing up and they were in different states and I had no clue what was going on. “ said Sabaka, a senior visual communication design major. “I think one was a couple hundred dollars and that’s why they contacted me and they cancelled my card and filed a fraud report.”

Credit card fraud is among the top ten complaints of Ohio consumers according to the Consumer Sentinel Network, a database of online complaints provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

The Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book stated that 67,692 consumers between the ages of 20-29 filed a fraud complaint in 2013.

Deborah Young, a banker at Key Bank, suggests that students keep track of their credit card statements so that they know what is charged on the card.

“What I like to do on my credit card is to keep just one credit card for online purchases, that way it is a lot easier to keep in track of what you are doing online.” Young said. “If there is something that just shows up that’s not yours, then you know right away to contact the credit card company.”

Samantha Lingenfelter, public health graduate student, said she uses her credit card everywhere.

“I apparently shopped at Target when their data breach was hacked, but I didn’t even remember going so I didn’t bother looking into getting my credit card fixed because I didn’t think I had gone,” Lingenfelter said. “I ended up getting an email last week from Chase bank. They had already done the work for me, which is nice because I’ve been using the card without even thinking about it.”

Ligenfelter said her credit card was not hacked, but they issued her a new card for safety precautions.

Bryan Stewart, the Program Associate at Ohio Public Interest Research Group , or PIRG,  a nonprofit organization that stands up for the interest of consumers, suggests students seek help from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency that can guide and inform consumers about federal consumer laws.

“A lot of Ohioans and college students may not know about this new government agency designed to protect them.” Stewart said. “You can go to this agency and file a fraud report and they will help you get some sort of relief or some sort of result from your claim.”

For more information about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, visit www.consumerfinance.gov.

Contact Breyanna Tripp at [email protected].