If you’re paying your credit card bill on time and usually pay off the entire balance, you may not feel like you need to look at every line of your statement. But reviewing your transactions from the previous billing period can help you catch any signs of fraud before it’s too late to take action.
If you wait a month or more after a fraud event happens to contact your card issuer and file a fraud report with your local police, it’s harder to prove you weren’t the person who made the charges. If you can catch suspicious or unusual charges within a week or two of them taking place, you have a much better chance of the card issuer and any other party you must consult with standing in your corner to help you solve the problem—and help you get your money back ASAP.