Card Security

We use debit and credit cards for just about everything these days. From paying at the pump for gas, to making purchases at stores, to ordering online, or withdrawing cash at an ATM. With all that convenient access, it is still important to know how to keep your money and your financial data safe! Going back to the days of writing out checks or paying for everything in cash is just not feasible for most of us, but a few easy tips can help you stay protected.

Use Multiple Passwords for Online Accounts: Use a unique password for each of your online accounts, such as online banking, email, Facebook, and retail shopping or payment websites. Using the same password for everything is like using the same key to lock your car, your house, and your office – if a crook gains access to one, they have access to all. Using multiple passwords keeps you better protected.

Always Use Strong Passwords Online: Strong passwords use a combination of letter, numbers and symbols, making them harder to guess. Don’t use obvious passwords like “password” or “123456”, or publicly available information, such as your pet or child’s name, or your zip code or birth date. And always store your passwords securely!

Enroll in Verified by VISA: Verified by Visa is a security piece designed to make buying things over the Internet much more secure. It adds of a member selected password to the online checkout process. Once you've created your own password at www.visa.com/verified you'll be presented with a brief pop up box during online checkout (with participating merchants). You simply enter the password that you selected and boom! Your purchase is complete. The online merchant KNOWS that it's you and you KNOW that your Visa card is more secure.

Be Smart Online: To protect yourself against fraud, never provide personal or financial information such as: Check or Credit Card Numbers, PIN's, Social Security Numbers, or Passwords to unsolicited phone, e-mail, or pop-up website requests. If a webpage you visit seems suspicious, or different than normal, think twice before entering your account information. Be sure to check your account information regularly for possible unauthorized transactions. Be careful when using public Wi-Fi as well. Do not enter passwords or card data over an unsecured, unencrypted connection.

Pay Attention to Card Readers at Stores, Kiosks, and ATM's: Always take a close look at the card reader device before swiping your card or entering your PIN to ensure that it has not been tampered with. Skimming devices are small card readers that fit around the legitimate card reader to capture your card information. These devices are made to look very similar to the normal card reader, as shown below, but they are placed on card terminals by criminals who steal card data then download it from the skimming device.

Left: Skimming Device          Right: No Skimming Device

Top: No Skimming Device    Bottom: Skimming Device

Post by: Erin S.