Here’s a little image for you; you wake up one day and find out that all your money is gone, and you have been subjected to credit card fraud. Not a very pretty picture, is it? But in reality, this very much happens, and numerous people have fallen victim to such a crime.
If you’re someone who has various cards – be it debit or credit, we’d advise you to look out for any suspicious activity regarding any of your accounts. This post will take you through a few useful ways to prevent you from falling victim to credit card fraud. Let’s begin!
Check for Viruses
Suppose you prefer convenience over security and conduct most of your transactions online over digital or phone banking. In that case, you need to check your gadget for any viruses that can eat into your system. There are many anti-virus softwares that you can download and run on your system to ensure that you stay protected. These viruses can tend to corrupt your banking systems as well, so better to be safe than sorry.
Enable Fingerprint Sign-In
Hacking into bank accounts by guessing passwords is not rocket science for cybercriminals. This is why you need to enable a fingerprint sign-in or face-ID on your device whenever you want to access your bank’s digital app. Information about your cards is also present within those apps, so you might want to keep them as secure as possible. It’s rather trickier or close to impossible to hack into a bank account that’s protected by a fingerprint or face recognition sign-in.
Lock Your Card if Misplaced
Hey, we all sometimes tend to put our cards somewhere and not remember where we kept them. It’s advised that you take care of it at all times, but even if you’ve misplaced it, you can always order a new one from your bank. However, in the case, if you lose it, you need to call your banking agent and get the card locked immediately. This way, whoever finds it won’t be able to access it whatsoever.
Report Any Suspicious Activity
If you ever get a message about a certain transaction made through your account, and you’re certain that you didn’t make it – immediately report it and get the matter looked into. Ignoring such transactions won’t settle well with you as such activities could further lead to hacking accounts and cards.
Don’t Tell Your Pin to Anyone
Your four-digit card pin is what unlocks your card and makes it accessible. Please don’t share this pin with anyone as it can lead to card fraud. Also, make sure that your pin isn’t super guessable when setting your card up for activation. Any significant date isn’t considered the best pin, such as a birthday or an anniversary date. So, set a pin that’s not very easy to guess.
Protection Against Identity Theft
Identity theft is a common practice for criminals where they assume your identity and get access to all of your private accounts. In order to protect yourself from such a severe crime, it’s important that you protect all of your legal documents. Make sure they don’t get into the hands of anyone else. Secure your lockers with keys that only you have access to. And lastly, ensure that your card is protected under your watchful eye.
