Tips to avoid bank card fraud
As banks continue working tirelessly to implement measures to combat card fraud, customers are urged to always be vigilant.
With the Festive Season upon us, every form of crime is drastically increasing, whether it’s house break-ins, assault, robbery or even cybercrime.
And as banks continue working tirelessly to implement measures to combat card fraud, customers are urged to always be vigilant and take advantage of the security measures available to them when transacting.
Ryan Prozesky, CEO of Value Banking Solutions at FNB, said fraudsters go to extreme measures to trick customers out of their hard-earned cash.
“As the old adage says, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’. Don’t wait until you become a victim of fraud before familiarising yourself with important measures to keep your bank cards safe,” he said.
Here are a few tips from Ryan to keep in mind:
· Review your account statements on a regular basis and query disputed transactions with your bank immediately.
· Do not send e-mails that quote your card number and expiry date.
· Ensure that you get your own card back after every purchase.
· Never write down your PIN or disclose it to anyone.
· Report lost and stolen cards immediately.
· Never let your card out of your sight when making payments.
· Your card is not transferable. Only the person whose name appears on the front of the card is authorised to use it.
· If you have debit, cheque and credit cards, don’t choose the same PIN for them all.
· Always ensure that the amount reflecting on the Point of Sale device is the correct purchase amount before entering your PIN.
· Keep your transaction slips and check them against your statement to spot any suspicious transactions and query them immediately.
· Never accept help from strangers when using an ATM.
· Use one hand to shield the other hand while keying in the PIN.
· Should your card be retained by an ATM, contact your bank and block your card before you leave the ATM.
· You can temporarily block and unblock your cards using the FNB Banking App if you suspect you may have lost your card.
· Store your bank’s Call Centre number on your cellphone so that you have it handy should you need to stop your card.
· Subscribe to your bank’s SMS notification services; this will inform you of any transactional activity on your account.
“Taking time to review these tips annually and keeping up to date with the latest fraud schemes can give you peace of mind when transacting on your card,” he concluded.
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