Chip and Pin Is Not The Only Way To Beat Credit Card Fraud

Credit card fraud is on the up and up and with the introduction of Chip and Pin to combat does not seem to be making a difference at present. I say present because, of the high transit of new credit cards that are being sent out to us, this has caused credit card theft to rise due to the fact that many crooks, have been stealing them between them leaving the credit card company and reaching our homes, though they will find it a little harder to get there filthy mitts on our credit card details, once we have all received our relevant new cards.

If you are still waiting for your new Chip and Pin credit cards and have just dismissed it as the credit card company have just not got round to you yet, well don’t has they may already have been dispatched and been intercepted and used at this very moment, so it would be a good idea to give he credit card issuer a call just to see where they are, if only for peace of mind.

Other forms of credit card fraud have been steadily on the rise also, especially fraud on the Internet, which comes down to “card not seen” fraud. This where you may have decided to purchase some goods over the net, where credit card details will be used to make the purchase, these are going to faceless people who could have set up a site just for the sole purpose of obtaining credit card details, they will then take these details and use them to fleece you of your cash leaving you with a massive debt that is not of your own doing. It is advisable to only use Internet sites that are secured.

Many credit card thieves also use skimming; this will be done scanning your credit card through a machine that will then store the details of your credit card, this is why you should never let your credit card out of your sight and have it returned to you as quickly as possible, this can be done under the counter of a shop that you are making a purchase from, or schemes can even be executed by deception, this will be done at ATM’s where someone may drop a £10 note at your feet after they have taken a note of your pin that you have just punched in, they will then distract you by saying that you have just dropped the said £10 and with human nature being what it is, you will turn to look for it bend down to pick it up, while the person who has dropped the £10 in the first place, has stealthily removed your card, swiped it through a small hand held machine and placed it back in the ATM, without you being none the wiser, simple and effective.

Being vigilant when using your credit cards should be a priority at all costs, even if you think you are missing out on a bargain over the Internet, on a site that is not secure, may lead to it costing a lot more than the savings that you were making. Standing in a shop make sure that no one is trying to see over your shoulder to have a peek at your credit card Pin, if so stop what you are doing and ask them politely to step back a bit to give you space, if they wont stop the transaction completely and return to the store at a later date to make your purchase.