The Maine Attorney General’s Office encourages people who suspect their credit or debit cards have been compromised to do the following:

• Monitor your accounts for fraudulent purchases. If you get printed statements, consider signing up for online statements so you can monitor activity in real time.

• If you discover transactions you didn’t make on a credit card, notify the financial institution that issued the card and follow up in writing to dispute the purchases. The card issuer likely will close the account and give you a new card and number.

• If you discover transactions you didn’t make on a debit card, immediately request that the account be canceled. Federal law limits your liability on a debit card to $50 if you notify your financial institution within two business days of the discovery of the theft. Your liability rises to $500 if you report the activity within 60 days of receiving your statement.

For more information on how to protect your financial information, go to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse at privacyrights.org, or the Federal Trade Commission’s consumer information page at consumer.ftc.gov.