Ireland Credit Card

Credit cards provide you with a lot of convenience and benefits. However, you need to protect your credit card(s) against fraud.

Apart from making sure your bank has issued with a NOW STANDARD CHIP AND PIN , Here is a list of measures that you should adopt to protect your credit card against fraud in Ireland and abroad:

Identity protection: The credit card supplier includes some instructions with the credit card, at the time of delivering it to you. The very basic instruction is to put your signature in the white space/box at the back of your credit card. A lot of people tend to be lazy and defer it for later (and that later never comes). This signature is used by the merchants to ascertain the identity of the credit card holder. This protects you against possible fraud in the event of your credit card getting stolen or lost. Though a lot of credit suppliers have started using other means like chip-pin (wherein you need to enter a pin number in the card reader machine instead of a signature) and picture credit cards (credit cards bearing your picture on them), a lot of merchants still use the traditional signature matching mechanism. So just sign it, it takes just 2 seconds.

Destroy before disposal: Sifting garbage for credit card details seems to have become pretty popular with the fraudsters. To protect yourself against such fraudsters, you must destroy (shred or tear to small pieces) any mail/documents containing your credit card details, before disposing them off.

Use anti-spyware software: Since the advent of internet technology, online shopping and payments have become very common and convenient. However, with that, fraudsters have also started using spyware to intrude into your privacy and to get details of your credit card, when you make an online purchase. Anti-spyware software protects you against such fraudsters. There are hordes of anti-spyware softwares available in the market and you can choose the one that best suits you. You should however check the credentials of the anti-spyware software provider before going for one (lest you end-up with a spyware instead).

Be Vigilant: Don’t lose sight of your credit card when making payments at shops/restaurants etc. You never know when a fraud clerk might swipe it multiple times. This is especially important if you are using your credit card at a place whose reputation is not known to you or if you are using your credit card overseas. The chip and pin type of credit cards seem to provide respite from such frauds.
Another time to be vigilant is when you are entering your pin number either to withdraw cash from cash machines (or ATMs) or to make a payment using chip-pin arrangement. This pin is as good as your signature and you need to make sure that you don’t reveal it to anyone, not even accidentally. Also, if you find any suspicious device attached to a cash machine, do not use it and immediately report the matter to the cash machine owner. Beware; it could be a card copying device.

Information sharing: Don’t reveal your credit card details to strangers especially people you find in chat rooms on the internet. In fact, don’t share credit card details with friends or anyone else either. Even if they don’t commit a fraud by themselves, they might end up revealing the details (accidentally or otherwise) to a fraudster.

That is a list of essential measures which you should adopt immediately. A list of precautions and instructions is also provided by all credit card suppliers at the time of credit card delivery. You should contact Bank of Ireland, AIB or whoever issued your card if you require any further advice on how to protect yourself.

Finally, you should all now be using teh standard chip and pin feature. No retailers should be asking you to sign anything. Remember, don’t give out your PIN to ANYONE, especially not the clerk in the shop you are using it. Stay safe, use your head!