Credit card fraud can occur in a number of ways. Your card could be lost or stolen, and thus be used to buy goods and services. A criminal could also obtain your card number and expiry date, and use this information to make purchases over the phone or online. Also, criminals could traffic the terminals to retailers in order to obtain the information stored on the card and make a forgery. This can happen to you: you are asked to repay money that you have not received or not spent. Or you find that your account has been debited a large sum of money, without your knowledge. In this case, someone has probably stolen data from your credit card or other data.

The two most common forms of credit fraud are:

• Fraudulent use of your credit card – Did you lose your credit card? Was it stolen? Did you leave your credit card data on unreliable websites? In this case, someone may make purchases on your account or withdraw money from your account;
• Someone pretends to be you – Someone was able to get your personal data (address, bank details, pay slips, etc.)? He can then use them to claim a credit in your name, or even take/transfer large amounts of money from your accounts. If the bank does not realize it, it will execute all the requests of this person.

But fortunately, you can protect yourself by adopting some simple habits.

How to protect yourself?

Avoid getting data into the wrong hands:

• Sign your new credit card as soon as you receive it;
• Never share your credit card information with another person.
• Never enter your PIN code – Memorize it. Do not give it to anyone; make sure that nobody can see it when you type it on the keyboard of the payment terminal. Avoid obvious PIN codes, such as your birthday or the birthday of your children, or 1111, 0000,
• Have your credit card blocked immediately you lose it, or it is stolen.
• Use the chip. Replace your magnetic stripe cards with integrated chip cards as they offer more security in operations and increase the speed of the transaction. In addition, it provides a greater guarantee against the crimes of counterfeiting and/or cloning of cards.
• Only pay online merchant websites whose domain name is protected by a small padlock. If you have any doubts, search Google for this merchant, or check with friends and family first;
• Never give e-mails or phone calls asking you to provide credit card data or codes;
• If you pay abroad with your credit card without having to enter the PIN code, do not lose sight of your card for a single moment. Ask the merchant to perform all the manipulations with your card before you. Because if he carries the card, he can quickly without your knowledge copy all the data of the card to use fraudulently thereafter;
• Make sure that no one can copy your personal documents (ID card, payslips, bank statements, driver’s license, etc.). Identity thieves could use it;
• Always stay attentive – When you make a payment, do not let them take your card out of your sight with the excuse that the POS does not work. Keep your card with you and go with the person who is charging to the point where you can make your transaction effective. Just made the purchase, do not forget to ask for it back. If you notice any kind of strange manipulation, file a complaint with the bank.
• Never leave your wallet or purse with these documents unattended;
• Shred copies of documents with your personal data before discarding or recycling.

What to do if you are a victim of credit card fraud

If any transactions you have not made have been charged to your card or if you believe you have disclosed your credit card number when you do not have to do so, contact your credit card issuer immediately. The issuer of your card will take appropriate measures to protect you against fraud.