A news story (Credit card PIN security ’should be improved’) we published yesterday on the site has prompted me to write this piece on PIN protection.
Christine Grahame, a Scottish National Party MSP, had her card taken from her bag after a visit to Asda in October 2009. The thief, who Ms Grahame believes spied on her while she was entering her PIN, then proceeded to steal hundreds of pounds from her account.
As a result, Ms Grahame has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament prompting retailers to investigate if their existing security procedures are adequate.
However, based on her comments and description of the situation, I believe she could have prevented this theft herself.
I’ll show you each of Ms Grahame’s comments in turn and add our comments and tips to each:
1. “Some supermarkets have a proper guard around the machine so people can’t see, but others have hardly any guard.”
According to a spokesman for the Scottish Retail Consortium most card reader PIN machines are indeed protected by shields but even if you use one that doesn’t you can still hide your PIN.
Our tip: DO NOT just rely on the shields over PIN machines. Personally, I find them more of a hindrance than a help and always use my hand, my purse or anything else that’s handy to cover my PIN-entering hand and the keypad.
2. “I didn’t see any notices warning people to be careful.”
Do consumers really need another sign next to the tills telling them to “be careful”? At the end of the day, there are people in this world that want to steal money from other people and if you don’t take precautions yourself, you may well end up a victim; how much would a sign do?
Our tip: Never be complacent with your personal information – thieves want it and they’ll go to great lengths to get it. This has been and always will be the case so you can never be too careful.
3. “When people are taking money out of cash machines, they usually do cover up their PIN number, but if you’re at a checkout with lots of bags you don’t always think about it. I would like to see supermarkets being a bit more proactive.”
It’s attitudes like this that make consumers prime targets for thieves – all shops could possibly do more to be proactive, but I’m sure most consumers could too.
Our tip: Whenever and wherever you enter your PIN, your full attention should be given to keeping it safe. You may enter debit or credit card details while buying something during your lunch at work but there aren’t going to be signs reminding you to keep your PIN and other details safe everywhere you go. Therefore, it’s best to get yourself into a habit of protecting your details.
4. Ms Grahame said shoppers should be on their guard during the pre-Christmas rush.
She said: “There is pressure on you to hurry up and get through and people tend just to put their pin in quickly while they’re packing their bags.”
Ms Grahame is right about one thing – you do need to increase your guard when it is busy or crowded. The extra time it takes to be more cautious will be a lot less than the time it would take to sort out the mess a fraud attack can cause.
Our tip: If you feel pressure, ignore it. You can’t be forced to hurry these things and the stress you feel by people hurrying you will be a lot less than that felt if someone steals your details and commits fraud using your card and name. Take your time and ALWAYS cover your PIN.
