Charlotte Mooney

The credit card is a ubiquitous and indispensable part of our everyday lives. Most of us use credit and debit cards every day, not only in shops but over the phone and online. But where did it all start? A quick look back to a time when the credit card was just a piece of Science Fiction.

What is Identity Theft? Does it constitute a serious risk? Is it necessary to purchase insurance against it?

Q.Why are credit card rates so high when the base rate is so low? A. Credit card companies are influenced by risk factors much more than by the base rate.

77 million users of the Sony PlayStation network have fallen victim to one of the largest cases of identity theft ever reported. The PSN network has been taken offline as Sony struggle to tighten their security procedures. Confidential data has been stolen, credit card accounts may have been compromised. No one knows who is responsible for the attack.

As part of its vision for the 'Big Society', the UK government is calling on its citizens to become more involved in social action, both by volunteering their time and skills, and by making more financial contributions to charity. One way to make charitable giving quicker and easier is to allow ATM users to make a contribution to a good cause each time they withdraw cash.

New technology and new ways to pay: great news for credit consumers or just another opportunity for enterprising fraudsters to cash in? Can the new Contactless Cards really be scanned, cloned and ripped off while they are still inside your wallet or pocket?

Unemployment is up, prices are up, VAT is up and the cost of credit is rising: is there any light on the horiizon for hard-pressed consumers as credit card borrowing rates hit a 13-year high?

In the wake of recent disruption on major internet payment sites by the so-called WikiLeaks Hacktivists, the OECD has issued a further warning on future cyber attacks.

According to the annual 'Card Fraud Index' report, 13 million Britons have now been the victims of card fraud, but the overall trend is downwards. Nevertheless, consumers should take their share of responsibility for the problem, and take steps to protect themselves from the scammers

Two British schoolboys are accused of a multi-million pound online credit card scam: reminds me of Stephen Fry's infamous teenage spending spree and subsequent 3-month spell in prison.