You may be able to find cheaper and less painful solutions. Those small pieces of plastic in your purse or wallet are like gold to thieves. With your debit or credit card, or even just the account number, crooks can run up a tab, drain your accounts, steal your identity, and damage your credit rating. There are a few things you can do to lessen the chance of this happening. Don't just throw them out.
Thieves look through garbage for information.
Never give your account numbers to persons unknown to you over the telephone. Likewise, don't send your account information over the Internet unless you know the recipient uses a secure encryption system. If you don't carry your credit and debit cards with you, keep them in a secure location in your home or other safe place such as a safe deposit box. The sooner you can report a lost or stolen card, the better off you'll be. Your credit union knows how much you rely on your credit and debit cards.