According to Apacs, the UK payments association, “making sure you protect your PIN is a golden rule for all cardholders to follow”.

This has become especially important since the introduction of Chip and PIN technology because you now have to enter your PIN whenever you use your debit or credit card to make a purchase in a shop or restaurant.

However, Apacs found some interesting statistics on the attitudes people have when it comes to protecting their PINs when it conducted its 2006 ‘Attitudes to Fraud’ survey:

• More than one in four people (27%) have the same PIN for all of their cards. This is not recommended but is considered better than writing all your PINs down.
• 78% of people say they never write their PIN down. However, on the flip side, an alarming 8% (one in ten) say they do write down their PIN so they can remember it.
• A massive 7% of people say they’ve told someone what their PIN is.
• Although 50% of people say they always cover their PIN at a cash machine, 20% (one in five) said they rarely or never shield their PIN.