'Lot of scam artists in the water': CNN financial expert gives tips for surviving the COVID-19 economy

A financial expert on Tuesday gave CNN viewers a crash course in how to handle their personal finances in the middle of the COVID-19 economy.

In an interview with host John Berman, HerMoney.com CEO Jean Chatzky warned that many scammers right now are trying to take advantage of people's dire credit situations caused by the COVID-19 recession.

"Right now we have seen a lot of scam artists in the water," she said. "We want to make sure that we... are taking care of handling your situation well."

She said that the best way to avoid getting into a desperate situation is maintaining a high credit score, and she said that people should make sure to use all their credit cards for at least one purchase a month, as credit card companies are now enacting stricter credit limits on cards that are rarely used.

Chatzky also advised people who are hunkering down and not making any major purchases during the pandemic to freeze their credit.

"It is a great move to protect yourself against identity theft," she said. "We have got a step-by-step guide on how to do it at HerMoney.com, but it is really easy, get in touch with the credit bureaus, say you want to freeze online or on the phone, and you don't have to worry about somebody else taking out credit in your name."

Watch the video below.