Although credit card fraud is somewhat rare, it can happen, and it can happen to anybody who does not take the right precautions to protect their credit card details. Below, we are going to discuss a few of the things that you can do to ensure that you stay safe and protect yourself from fraud.
The Internet
As many of you know, the internet is responsible for the majority of fraud cases – well, not the internet directly, but the way people use it and the way they fail to protect themselves when online. There are a few basics when using credit cards online:
1. Never give your credit card details to a company that you do not trust. If you do not know the company then you should exercise great caution before you buy anything from them. Fortunately, the majority of websites will have secure payment methods.
2. Always use a secure payment method. A secure payment method is a third-party company that acts as an online bank. There are some very well known payment methods, such as PayPal, Sage Pay and Google Checkout. These all have a very good safety record and you can rest assured that they are safe to use. However, before you go putting any information into their website read the address bar at the top to make sure that you have actually been directed away from the original site and that you are now on the payment site. For example, imagine that you want to buy a pair of shoes from a company called ShoeChoos. You find the shoes you like, you click buy, and it takes you to a PayPal screen where you have to enter your PayPal details. You have to look at the top bar on your screen and make sure that the address says https//PayPal…. This ensures that you are on the PayPal website, and the s after http ensures that you are on a secure site. Do this overtime you buy anything online.
3. You should always have an anti-virus programme that will search for an eliminate viruses and other issues that may lead to you becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft.
4. Never send your credit card details by email. Some frauds ask you for your details by sending you an email that looks like it is from your bank. Do not answer this. The only way to really send credit card information online is to use a credit card fax facility. Credit card fax facilities encrypt all the information, and this means that your information cannot be seen by a third party. You should, of course, only send a fax to a company that you know and trust, and make sure that you are sending it to the right company, and not a fake address.
We hope that you have learned a little bit about the process of looking after your credit card information online.
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