LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Depending on how your money is stolen, you may not get it back.

The Better Business Bureau of Acadiana CEO Chris Babin said scammers may be pinching pennies out of your bank account for a long time before you notice.

"The biggest scare about identity theft is you don't necessarily find out right away," Babin said.

Check your bank statements regularly to make sure no new cards or line of credit was opened in your name. Check for any unfamiliar charges, big or small.

"Once they get credit card information, they don't go make a big charge right away," Babin said. "They try to use a couple of small charges to see if the consumer notices first before they then try to use it for larger amounts in the future."

Once you notice an unauthorized charge on your card, cancel it.

Chris Gondran, Senior Vice President of Home Bank, said to call your bank and dispute the charge.

"You're going to remember what you spent," Gondran said. "If you see something that that looks out of the ordinary, then the best idea is to call your bank and ask them about it."

Figure out what protections your card has. Credit and debit cards may have different protections.

"We would always encourage that you use a credit card versus something like a debit card, which has a PIN number and is typically linked to an actual account with money in it. Because a lot of times, once those accounts are compromised and the money's gone, it's a little bit harder to get those funds back," Babin said.

"There are less protections with a debit card. Notify them immediately as soon as you become aware of it to find out what protections are in place, not only to dispute the charge, but protect that account moving forward," Babin continued.

Also, put a freeze on your credit.

"If you put a freeze on a credit report, it's going to prevent someone from opening up a financial account like a loan, getting a loan to open up a credit card and doing other types of things," Gondran said. "Whereas, if they were able to successfully open up one of these accounts in your name, then you would be liable for it."

The BBB advises you to shred your canceled cards to protect your identifiable information from another potential identity theft.

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