Following the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” sales trainer Grant Zweifel spoke to some Slidell High School students recently about the dangers of credit cards.

“Pay cash for everything,” said Zweifel, as he addressed C.J. Roberts’ Principles of Business class. “Don’t even use a debit card if you can possibly help it.”

Zweifel graduated from SHS in 1994 and now runs a sales and executive training firm in Columbia, S.C. He speaks from personal experience, having overextended himself with credit card debt just after college. He’s also been the victim of identity theft after someone “cloned” his debit card. Luckily, the fraud was discovered about 12 hours after it happened, when Zweifel attempted to use the card to rent a U-Haul truck and the charge was declined.

Zweifel conducts personal development and sales seminars throughout the country. With the use of credit cards on the rise among both college and high school students, Zweifel said he wants to help the students avoid going through what happened to him.

He decided to start in his hometown and contacted Phil Culotta, an SHS guidance counselor. Culotta is a former college classmate of Roberts’ and realized her business classes would provide the perfect audience.

Zweifel spoke on responsible credit card use Monday, then followed up by talking about identity theft Tuesday.

“Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the world, and it doesn’t just happen in the U.S.,” he said, noting that a friend had his card swiped while traveling in Turkey by a waiter in a café, who used a handheld device the size of a cell phone to scan the card before handing it back to him.

According to Zweifel, identity thieves will go through trash bins or mail boxes looking for discarded personal papers and credit card offers. He recommended that students encourage their parents to put a hold on their mail before going on vacation and to shred any personal documents they don’t need to keep.

He also advised students not to try building up their credit too quickly.

“Every time you apply for a loan or a credit card, the resulting check of your credit history will knock your score down about three points,” said Zweifel. “It can add up quickly and mess you up in the long run.”

A few students admitted to regular credit card use. Some, like Manny Noesi, 18, say they work hard to use them responsibly.

“I pay it off in full every month,” said Noesi, who holds a part-time job so he can take care of his bills, including his cell phone bill. “Although we went to Disney World for grad night, and I spent a lot of money there. That one will be tough.”