Unfortunately, credit fraud has become very common these days. We live in an information age where our credit card information is at high risk of theft. But you can prevent credit card fraud by keeping your card details extra safe. Always be on alert for scammers who may try to lure you into giving up your credit card information.
What are the credit card fraud types?
Let’s break down the different types of credit fraud into four main areas:
- Lost or stolen credit cards used without the owner’s authorization.
- ‘Skimmed’ credit cards – happens when a card is copied or cloned when swiped on a machine that duplicates the card.
- Card-not-present – card number, cardholder name, address, and date of birth stolen from databases or through phishing scams to be sold and used for cybercrimes.
- Unauthorized transaction from a new credit card through fraudulent applications.
How to detect credit card fraud
Spending a few minutes monitoring your credit card activities can save you from the stress of getting fraud.
Check bank statements regularly. if you notice an unrecognized transaction, call up the card provider and question it.
Check credit reports regularly. Checking the credit report will help in detecting if someone was has applied for a credit card pretending to be you.
Check your post. A lot of information is stolen from mails, so keep a check of the expected posts and contact the sender if there is any delay to make sure it’s not intercepted and stolen.
Set up bank alerts. This will help you in receiving all your credit card activities via text message whenever your card is used.
Check for unknown transactions. If you receive a card decline notification, check with the provider because this could mean that someone was trying to make high-value payments without you knowing.
Credit card limit. If you receive a notification from your card provider that you have reached your credit card limit, it could mean someone was using your card details unknowingly.
How to prevent credit card fraud
Following these steps can help you lower the likelihood of becoming a victim of credit card fraud.
- Do not let go of your card from the sight when paying for things – it might get tampered with or copied without you knowing.
- Steer clear of any unexpected emails, letters, phone calls, or people visiting you without any prior contact.
- Keep your login details such as passcodes and PINs safe from people you know and you do not know.
- Before throwing away your old credit cards chop them up and cut through the magnetic strip and chip.
- Keep your mobile and computer software up to date with anti-virus and other security features.
- Use strong passwords for your online account and app, and avoid reusing passwords.
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi for making any payment transactions.
- Always use secure websites with ‘HTTPs’ and check the web address for any error in the spelling or formation.
- Make sure to log off from your online bank accounts when using a public computer.
Note:
We have a team of professionals investigating the fraud cases thoroughly and providing detailed analysis with documents necessary to report a scam or fraud to higher authorities. We aim to evaluate each case with full attention and resolve them in a manner that the victim gets closure as soon as possible.
