News that as many as 130 million debit and credit cards may have been breached highlights the growing risk of fraud. Here is what it means for consumers.

Q: How can I tell if my information has been compromised?

A: In almost every state, companies that suffer a data breach will have to notify customers if their personal data may have been breached. Meantime, consumers should monitor their bank and credit-card accounts and report any unusual activity to the financial institution.

Q: How do I protect myself?

A: First, get copies of your credit report to make sure the information is accurate, said Adam Levin, co-founder of, a credit-education site, and co-founder of Identity Theft 911.

Under federal law, consumers are entitled to one free copy of their reports each year from each of the three credit reporting bureaus. Consumers can also notify the fraud department of a credit bureau and request that a fraud alert be put on their file. They can also ask for a credit freeze on their accounts to help prevent further fraud and identity theft.

Spend five to 10 minutes a day looking online at bank and credit-card accounts to make "absolutely sure that every transaction you see is yours," adds Mr. Levin.

Q: What is my liability if someone steals my card data?

A: With credit cards, consumers are generally liable for no more than $50 in unauthorized usage under federal law, although it's common for most issuers to have "zero liability" protections for unauthorized activity.

With a debit card, liability can vary, often depending on how soon you report any loss and whether you used your signature. A growing number of banks and companies including Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. offer zero-liability programs, although the protection generally covers signature-based purchases.

Q: Is there any way to gauge the security of a company's computers?

A: Not really. "There are so many ways that a company's sensitive personal data can be compromised," said Beth Givens, director of Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. Still, you can check to see if the company has had any other data breaches. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, for example, maintains a historical database of company breaches.

Write to Jane J. Kim at