Video description: In this video, Marietta, the editor-in-chief of the Consumer Action Handbook, the official guide to avoiding scams and frauds, discusses how you can avoid being a victim of credit card hacking this holiday season.

Video Transcript:
Hi guys! It’s Marietta, the editor in chief of the Consumer Action Handbook — your official guide to being a smart consumer — and today I want to talk to you about how to avoid being the victim of credit-card hacker.

With holiday shopping season right around the corner, I know we’re all more likely to be giving our credit cards a workout over the next several weeks, and the last thing any of us wants is to find out our credit-cards have been hacked.

Unfortunately, credit card hacking has become a really common occurrence over the past few years. In fact, recent research actually said credit-card hacking is Americans’ top crime worry!

So I wanted to share some tips with you so you know what to do to protect yourself and take steps to protect yourself from credit card hacking.

The first one is to use a credit card not a debit card. I know we said we’re talking about credit cards, but debit cards are used interchangeably. Unfortunately the protections you have from a debit card aren’t as strong if your credit card is lost or stolen or hacked. Really think about just using a credit card.

Also if you use a debit card, someone could wipe out not just your account, but actual money that’s connected to the debit card — the bank account or checking account that is used to make withdrawals from a debit card. So you want to make certain that you’re protecting not just that card, but think about long-term, your actual bank account and all the money that’s in it.

So one, don’t use your debit card, use your credit card.

Two, make certain when you’re online shopping for the best deals, that you’re using a secured internet connection. It’s really easy to use free public wi-fi at bookstores, airports, train stations. But you don’t know how those connections are secured, if they’re secured, who has access to them. And if the information you share, bank account or credit card number is hacked, you have no real recourse if someone has stolen access to the connection. So you want to do your best to protect from that happening by just not using your credit card over those connections.

And finally be smart about looking at your statements, checking them on a really regular basis especially during this holiday season. Making certain no fraudulent charges have been places on your card. And if they have been definitely contacting your credit card issuer immediately. They have the power to remove fraudulent charges so that you can contest them or to issue you a new card if it seems your card has been stolen or hacked.

You don’t need to be constantly looking over your shoulder when you’re out shopping this holiday season, but I definitely want to give you some tips and some ways to prevent sorts of frauds like these so that you can avoid some headaches down the road.

So best of luck with your holiday shopping. I hope you find some great deals!

And if you have other consumer questions, I definitely want to hear from you.  You can email me at askmarietta@gsa.gov or tweet it using the hashtag #AskMarietta.

On November 20 President Obama addressed the nation to announce a series of executive actions on immigration. The initiatives announced will touch the lives of millions of undocumented immigrants, specifically:

• Individuals who are eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and who came into the country at a young age.
• Parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have been living in the country since January 1^st, 2010.
• The spouses and children of lawful permanent residents.
• Adult children of American citizens.

Additionally, President Obama’s executive actions are expected to provide other benefits:

• Those who apply for naturalization will be able to pay their application fees by credit card.
• Immigrant and nonimmigrant programs will create jobs and contribute to the nation’s economy.

Sign up to receive email updates from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service

Read this note in Spanish.

According to the CDC, more than 29 million Americans have diabetes (PDF). Since November is National Diabetes Month, it is a perfect time to familiarize yourself with the ABCs of diabetes management.

A is for: A1C test - a blood test that measures your average blood sugar level over the past 3 months.

B is for: Blood pressure - the force of your blood against the wall of your blood vessels.

C is for: cholesterol - there are two types, LDL and HDL. LDL is the “bad” cholesterol that can build up and clog your blood vessels.

It is important to monitor each of these at your regular visit with your doctor. Should you develop diabetes, it can be treated with medication, but you need to be aware of potential risks or side-effects. If you or a family member is diabetic, here are some tasty recipes to try that are also healthy.