Credit Card Fraud: 5 Ways To Avoid The Pain

If you have ever suffered from credit card fraud, then you will be aware of how difficult it can be. It can make you lose confidence in using your card again. In fact even the thread of credit card fraud can put some people off using a card. There are things that you can do to reduce the chance of it happening to you.

• Use An Online Payment Processor
  If you are concerned about making online payments, then you could reduce the risk by using a payment processor. There is a selection of these and they work in different ways. Some will allow you to register your credit or debit card with them and then use your payment processors account to shop online. This means that your credit card number is only disclosed to that one company. Others allow you to buy a code using cash in a shop and then use that code to shop online.

• Keep Your Card And PIN Safe
  You should always keep your credit card and the PIN safe. If possible destroy the PIN and then when using it makes sure that no one can see you. Always be careful to know where you card is and remember to take it out of the chip and PIN machine when you have finished paying. If you suspect that an ATM has been tampered with then do not put your card in it.

• Shred Financial Documents
  There are some people that do go through rubbish bags and use bank statements to get credit card details. It is therefore important that you shred all documentation referring to your card or PIN even receipts which have your card number on them. If you have no shredder then rip them up, making sure you tear through the number a few times and put them in different bins.

• Do Not Use Links To Go To Online Sites
  There are people that will make a copy of a website and then tempt people to go and buy things and steal their money. To avoid this, do not enter a website from a link, unless it is a trusted one. Type in the URL yourself and check it to make sure that it is the site that you were expecting to go to. If you are suspicious that it does not look right, then do not buy from them.

• Check For Security On The Website
  It is good to check any website that you are using to make credit card transactions for security measures. Most will have put some in place and these include an https URL and a padlock symbol on the browser. These mean that information you send will be encrypted.
  These are just some of the things that you can do to safeguard yourself from credit card fraud. If you suspect that fraudulent activity has taken place then you should contact your credit card provider immediately and put a stop on the account. Check the transactions and make sure that they were all yours.

About Author:
Loren is a freelance blogger who occasionally writes on finance and relationship, She recently read an article at Ratesupermarket about mortgage rate and found it very useful.