7.6 Keeping your credit card safe

It is vitally important that you keep your credit card safe at all times; there are several things you will need to do to keep it safe:

1. You need to be aware of where your card is at all times; this is especially important if you rarely use your credit card and are just trying to pay off your balance. If you are no longer using your credit card for purchases, it would probably be best to leave your card at home in a very safe place so that you decrease the risk of losing it while out and about.
    
2. It is also sensible to keep an eye on your card at all times during a transaction. There have been reports of the theft of credit and debit card details which have then been used in countries without Chip and PIN technology. The theft occurs when the cashier takes your card and swipes it through a scanning device which takes a copy of your card details. The details can then be transferred onto any other card with a magnetic stripe, even phone top up cards, and used to make purchases in these other countries.
   
   The best thing to do in this situation is don’t give the cashier your card but ask them to bring the Chip and PIN to you so that you can insert your card and enter your pin. You should also be very wary if the cashier takes your card under the counter or away from you for a prolonged period of time. NEVER leave your credit card behind a bar to secure your tab.
    
3. Another important thing to remember is to not keep your credit card in the same place as a written down copy of your address, i.e. in the same bag as bills or other post, nor with your driving licence.
   
   If you store your credit card with your address, and a fraudster manages to get hold of both the card and the address, it will make it very easy to use the card for online purchases.
   
   If you need to keep post with your address in the same bag as your credit cards, the best thing you can do to lower the risk is to set up a password for the card using MasterCard Secure Code, if the card is issued by MasterCard, or Verified by Visa, if your card is issued by Visa. This way a fraudster would need your card details, your address details and your password to make online purchases. You need to set up a password for each of your cards for this to be most efficient.
    

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