Credit Cards May Be Safest Way To Pay

Credit cards have gotten a bad rap," said Michael Brown, president of CardCops.com, a privacy-protection business that tracks down stolen data and works to prevent identity theft. "When it comes to consumers, credit cards are about the safest way of paying for something."

Credit cards are safer, Brown said, because consumers are protected by both federal law and most banks when their cards are stolen and improperly used. Debit cards are a "different animal," Brown said, because they allow direct access to a person's checking account.