Think Your New Credit Card isn't Activated?

But to Ho, of Wells Fargo, the activation call is exactly what it purports to be: a way to make sure your new credit card got to the right place. "Realistically, it's an anti-fraud measure. Our credit cards are sent through the mail stream, and we've heard of people rummaging through mailboxes and taking cards out. Activation is a security measure so that we know the customer actually got the card."

Safe and sound
To stymie an attempted card theft, your issuer may ask questions to which only you know the answers. A customer service representative may also compare the phone number you're using with the one in your application, a reason why some activation stickers specify that you should call from your home number.

If you activate your card online -- an option offered by an increasing number of banks -- you'll need to log into your online banking account; that, in itself, can serve as another way to authenticate that you're the rightful owner of the credit card.

However, even those safety measures won't keep a new card secure from sophisticated thieves, says Stevenson. "Although people think that stealing stuff out of a mailbox is an arcane way of identity theft, actual physical theft is still one of the largest categories of how IDs get stolen." And these days, it's easier than ever. A potential crook just has to rifle through your mail, grab the envelope with a credit card -- easy to identify because they come in similar envelopes, usually from a processing center, and you can feel the card inside -- and activate the card. Even imitating your phone number is relatively simple with a voice-over IP box.

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So how do you keep that new card fraud-free and make the activation process as smooth as possible?

   1. Send new cards to a post office box or a locked mailbox, or at least keep a close eye on your mailbox when you're expecting a new card. If it doesn't show up, notify your issuer. While you're at it, do the things you'd ordinarily do to protect yourself from fraud, such as monitoring your credit report, so you'll know if a new card is used by someone else.

   2. Call to activate from your home phone number. Although some card issuers offer instructions on activating from work or a cell phone, if it says to call from home and you don't, it could flag your card, forcing you to hassle it out with your bank or wait another few weeks for a replacement.

   3. Better yet, activate online or at an ATM, if that's an option. Stevenson says it's just as secure as phone activation -- and it's sales-pitch free.

   4. Use your card or lose it. If you haven't activated your card after a few months, some issuers will assume it's lost and cancel it. But a few glass-half-full banks take it for granted that the card got to its destination, and you'll rack up your annual fee even if you've never used or activated the card. According to Chase spokeswoman Laura Rossi, "A customer may incur fees -- normally an annual fee -- on their card before activation, but all charges would be reversed if the customer decides to close their account before any activity occurs." Still, better to avoid the hassle and simply cancel your card (or opt for a fee-free version) if you have no intention of using it.

Activating a new credit card may be a pain, but it's definitely a better bet than letting a crook do it for you.