This may come a little late for many of you who have already been on holiday recently, but recent figures show that credit card fraud is on the increase overseas.

Fraud committed abroad on credit cards issued here in the UK came to a total bill of £118.2m in 2006 which was an increase of £36m on the year before.

This increase is partly a result of more and more of us deciding to use or credit and debit cards abroad; last year alone we spend a staggering £23bn. Despite this news we have seen a fall in credit card fraud at home because of the introduction of the new chip and pin technology.

There are a few precautions you can follow to avoid becoming a victim to credit card fraud, such as being extra careful at cash machines, avoiding keeping your cards places where pickpockets can easily get at them and not letting your cards out of your sight when paying in shops and restaurants. Generally try and be a bit more aware of your card than you are at home as thieves and con-men have different strategies than they may have in the UK.

If you are thinking of travelling abroad you might be advised to first inform your credit card company, as many banks are now placing an automatic block on a cardholder’s account if they do not tell the bank they are going to be travelling.

The worst countries for fraud on UK issued cards last year rated in order of worst first were USA, France, Spain, Italy and Thailand. Whilst a fraudulent transaction can often be refunded by your card provider, many customers are finding to their cost that they need to take out a loan to clear the debt in their name, or wait months for the issue to be resolved.