Identity Theft

Identity Theft - Protect Yourself Identity theft can be a major issue if your personal banking information falls into the hands of the wrong person. It has been estimated that it can take up to sixty hours of work to recover a stolen identity, and in the worst cases, cost thousands of dollars to correct. However, Identity theft can be easily avoidable if you take the right precautions that ensure their identity and cards are as safe as possible. Look after your cards Card holders should always know where ALL of their credit cards are. It is also best advised to carry as few credit cards as possible, preferably one. Never let a card out of your sight in a restaurant or shop or where there are alot of people and alot of activity. If you are traveling abroad only take one with you and also be sure to notify your bank or credit card company that you will be traveling overseas. Keep the others safely at home. PIN numbers Every chip and PIN card comes with a PIN number, sent under separate cover. Memorize this number immediately, and destroy the original letter. PIN numbers should never ever be kept together with the credit card. Upon getting your new pin number it is easy to change your new pin number to something that you personally prefer and can easily remember. Who is watching you? One large problem in the US with all of the self debit machines is that they have little to NO shielding, so anyone can see the code being entered. If possible, cover these machines as well as possible entering the PIN. One of the best methods to keeping your PIN secret is to use as many fingers as possible to enter the code and do it as fast as possible. Potential thieves will find it harder to follow rapid movements that consist of many fingers. Stolen cards If you happen to lose your credit card are are unlucky enough to have one stolen report the theft immediately and cancel the card before doing anything else. You dont want to risk hundreds or thousands of dollars being racked up in your name. Phishing One of the newest and most clever ways for thieves to obtain you personal information is by a technique called Phishing. Theives are constantly trying to extract credit card details from unsuspecting people by sending out mass SPAM emails. These emails will look as though they are coming from reputable banks. The email will claim to be from the Support or Service department, and often will have some request for information in the subject line. One of the first warning signs is if you have many emails from the same address or similiar address and if there are typographical errors in the headings. DO NOT OPEN THESE EMAILS and DELETE! Credit card companies NEVER request full passwords, PIN codes or complete account information via email or phone. For card holders who administer their card online or pay their monthly bills via online banking, any messages pertaining to their account will be accessible via the official bank or credit card web site. And always check to make sure the website youre visiting is a secure website. A padlock symbol should appear, and the letters “https:� appear at the start of the URL.

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