Written by 
- The Savvy Promise
At Savvy, our mission is to empower you to make informed financial choices. While we maintain stringent editorial standards, this article may include mentions of products offered by our partners. Here’s how we generate income.
People looking to make some quick cash at your expense through credit card fraud is on the rise. According to the Australian Federal Police $900 million dollars is lost by individuals through credit card fraud, identity theft and scams. With no signs of credit card fraud stopping anytime soon, it is time you took preventative measures. Here are three essential tips on how to protect your credit card from being scammed.
How to know that you are a victim
Even if you put all the safety measures in place to protect you, and tried your best to keep personal information safe sometimes slip-ups do happen. If you have lost important documents such as your passport, driving license or even your credit card call up your bank and necessary officials immediately. Usually, banks will call you if they spot any fishy behavior such as lump sums of money being moved in one day. However, thieves have become smarter by making smaller transactions that won’t raise the flag.
If you receive notifications of unauthorised transactions, no matter how small, call the bank up immediately to shut down your card. It’s advisable that you constantly check your credit history to check for any discrepancies.
How to protect yourself
Simple things that we tend to overlook every day can be an open door for thieves to snatch up your information.
- If you receive financial letters or statements from your bank or creditors make sure that you properly destroy these before putting them in the trash.
- Keep your computer security software up to date. When it comes to such software it’s best to install one that is verified. Cyber criminals are also smart in displaying software that has trojan horses that pose as legitimate security software.
- Wireless hotspots or public computers should be avoided like a plague when doing internet banking or making payments.
- A good phrase to keep in the back of your mind is, “if they are not verified never supply.” If the person or site asking you for personal information is not verified, and give you some shoddy explanation as to why they cannot provide you with certification, run.
Default features on your card that are there to protect you
Reading about credit card fraud and how some major credit card bureaus are being hacked into can make you paranoid. You can breathe easy with these default features that are designed to protect you:
- Fraud monitoring services: Credit card providers have established security systems and in-house fraud monitoring teams that will notify you of any fraudulent activities on your card. They could call you to double check if you made the transaction or not.
- Zero Liability: It is compulsory for credit card providers to provide you as the consumer with protection from fraudulent activity. This basically means you won’t be held liable for any fraudulent activity on your account. There are terms and conditions that you should be aware of by checking in with your card provider.
The end goal is that you be vigilant and take extra measure when it comes to protecting your card and personal information.
Did you find this page helpful?
This guide provides general information and does not consider your individual needs, finances or objectives. We do not make any recommendation or suggestion about which product is best for you based on your specific situation and we do not compare all companies in the market, or all products offered by all companies. It’s always important to consider whether professional financial, legal or taxation advice is appropriate for you before choosing or purchasing a financial product.
The content on our website is produced by experts in the field of finance and reviewed as part of our editorial guidelines. We endeavour to keep all information across our site updated with accurate information.
