Credit Card

(CBS News) - If you pay with plastic, get ready for some big changes this week. Sweeping new reforms for the credit card industry go into effect Monday. President Obama signed the act - 10 years in the making - last year. And as CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano reports, the new rules are designed to put you back in charge. Under the new rules, consumers will have added protection from what critics call the "tricks and traps" of credit cards. "It used to be - let's say you slip up and you're a day late on a payment.

By Kim Wilhelm (WICHITA, Kan.) Wichitan Juanita Alarcon won't be going to H&R Block this year to get her taxes done.  Last tax season, Alarcon was surprised to learn a tax preparer at the 47th and South Broadway location used her personal information to open an H&R Block Emerald Advance credit card.  Prosecutors charged 45 year-old Kelly R. Cummings with multiple counts of identity theft and criminal use of a financial credit card.  Alarcon was among five victims.   Cummings worked at H&R Block as a tax preparer.

By John Boyd (WICHITA, Kan.) The new Salvation Army kettles with credit card machines aren't bringing in as much money as the charity was hoping for. The Salvation Army believes people just aren't comfortable with using the machines. All you do is slide your card and punch in the amount you want to donate. The charity says the machines are safe to use and no personal information is stored. The Salvation Army did bring in one large donation.  Someone donated $1,000 dollars through one of the machines.

By Kim Wilhelm (WICHITA, Kan.) Many of you have called or e-mailed us asking about additional fees when you buy tickets to shows or concerts at the new Intrust Bank Arena.  You've noticed you're not only paying the price for the ticket, but an additional fee per ticket.  "Is the extra charge for parking?" e-mailed one viewer.  "I thought the arena was already paid for.  Who gets this money?" asked another viewer.  We asked arena management about it and here's what we found out. If you buy a ticket online, over the phone or at a remote ticket location, you'll be charged an additional service fee per ticket.

KWCH Eyewitness News & CBS News You may have seen the ads all over the Internet.  They promise you'll make thousands of dollars, working from home for the Internet search company Google. Marvin Schultz - an unemployed contractor in Oregon - thought it sounded like a good idea. "I saw Google, and I heard about it from my daughter so I thought what the heck," Schultz says. Schultz says he paid $0.99 for some materials that he never received and says he was then billed almost $50 on his credit card.

By Brian Heap (WICHITA, Kan.) Talk of tax refunds and economic stimulus are the driving force behind the latest IRS related scams on the internet. An e-mail circulating titled "Making Work Pay" features an IRS logo and claims you are entitled to a tax credit as part of the federal government's economic stimulus package.  The e-mail asks for personal information before the check can be sent.  Such a tax break does exist, but IRS officials said the money was not being sent in a lump sum. "What we called the recovery rebate credit actually was coming in your paychecks.

(WICHITA, Kan.) It's a warning to those who pay at the pump with a credit card. But is it real? Pumps at the Sam's Club in east Wichita posted warnings for customers who paid with a card to press clear before they leave, to clear out the transaction. The news release, supposedly comes from a sheriff's office in Colorado warning drivers of credit card thefts at the pump. However, state officials say there is no reason to be concerned. A Wichita gas station says there is somewhat of a lag time before your information clears.

Here are some ways to protect yourself from Identity Theft. 1. Destroy private records and statements. Tear up -- or, if you prefer, shred -- credit card statements, solicitations and other documents that contain private financial information. 2. Secure your mail. Empty your mailbox quickly, lock it or get a P.O. box so criminals dont have a chance to snatch credit card pitches. Never mail outgoing bill payments and checks from home. They can be stolen from your mailbox and the payee's name erased with solvents.