Never, ever use a debit card,' warns fraud expert and ex-con artist -- here's what to do instead

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. Not if you pay the balance every single month.

Another big problem with debit cards is that it's far too easy to use it when you don't have the money in the account, and the bank is very happy to slap you with humongous fees.

People should pay cash a lot more often than they do, rather than just always using either a credit or a debit card. If you allot yourself a set amount each week or each month for specific kinds of purchases (say coffee at Starbucks) when that cash is gone, you just don't buy any more coffee at Starbucks.