Protect your financial information - Gainesville Times

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Protect your financial information

Residents take home tips to prevent identity theft

Gainesville resident Hugh Bond shows his protective wallet, designed to keep thieves from swiping card numbers electronically. Bond bought it after his debit card number was stolen during a night out with his wife, Kathy, in November. His account was debited in Fredericksburg, Va., at 5 a.m., Bond said, and his bank ate the cost — less than $100. “But we still had to get new cards,” Bond said. - photo by NAT GURLEY

0304idtheft 1 — Gainesville resident Hugh Bond shows his protective wallet, designed to keep thieves from swiping card numbers electronically. Bond bought it after his debit card number was stolen during a night out with his wife, Kathy, in November. His account was debited in Fredericksburg, Va., at 5 a.m., Bond said, and his bank ate the cost — less than $100. “But we still had to get new cards,” Bond said. - photo by NAT GURLEY

Kathy and Hugh Bond got an unexpected call from their bank in November. It appears while the couple was spending time in Atlanta, Hugh Bond’s debit card made a purchase in Fredericksburg, Va. The Gainesville couple had become victims of identity thieves.