There are multiple ways that credit card and debit card fraud can happen and in a short amount of time too.
Your credit card information can be stolen when…
- You make a purchase from a fake or spoofed website.
- You receive an email that appears to be from a legitimate person or organization that asks for your credit card information.
- A small device is installed onto a payment terminal that records your credit card information as you use it.
- An organization or company’s computer system is hacked and credit card information is stolen.
- You swipe your credit card through a device that copies and stores the information on your credit card.
- Someone goes through your mailbox or garbage and steals documents that contain banking information.
You can protect yourself from being a victim of credit card fraud by…
- Keeping your PIN a secret and make it difficult to guess.
- Storing your credit cards in a safe location.
- Limiting the number of credit cards that you have or carry on you.
- When you are entering your PIN in a payment terminal, cover the terminal with your hand or body so that nobody can see the PIN you are typing.
- Locking your mailbox to decrease the risk of your credit card statements being stolen.
- Signing the back of your credit cards.
- Destroying old credit cards when they are expired or no longer in use.
- Storing financial information and credit card statements in a safe place.
- Destroying financial documentation or credit card statements by shredding them or burning them.
- Refraining from providing credit card information over the phone when in public or when people can hear you.
- Requesting for further information from an organization or company that is asking for your credit card information.
- Refraining from banking or online shopping when using a public computer/device. Refraining from providing credit card information over email.
- Ensuring your device is equipped with firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware software.
- Using secure and trusted websites when shopping or banking online.
- Not letting people distract you when you are banking at an ATM.
- Keeping the phone numbers of your banking institution(s) handy so that in case you have been a victim of fraud you can contact your banking institution promptly.
For more information about credit card or debit card fraud, you can visit
https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/credit-fraud.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/debit-fraud.html
