If you take reasonable care of your financial cards, you're less likely to be the target of debit/credit theft or fraud.

Dangers

Criminals collect information about you and your card accounts such as:

• a lost or stolen card
• statements taken from your letterbox
• monitoring your phone and internet use in hotels and even at home.

Criminals use that information to:

• spend your money
• directly steal money from your accounts
• convince you to provide the missing information they need to complete their crimes.

Using Secure Sentinel

Cards should include:

• credit cards
• ATM cards
• store cards (e.g. Myer, David Jones)
• petrol cards
• If you have a new or changed card, update your details.
• Place a Secure Sentinel label on every card. It reduces the chance of fraud and can help you get them back if they're lost.

If cards are lost or stolen, call Secure Sentinel immediately. 

Avoid card scams

Financial institutions never ask you to provide any information:

• via a link in an email
• in response to a phone call or mobile text message.

Be safe on the internet. Only connect with a card issuer using the company's own official home page.

Restaurants and stores

In a store or restaurant your card can be swiped through a second reader to steal your card details. This is called "skimming".

Be safe when buying in stores or restaurants. Always be with your card during a transaction. At a restaurant, go with the waiter to where your card transaction is processed.

Criminals asking you for information

Criminals try to get card holders to give information. They hunt for missing information that lets them get access to your finances. Any information you give helps the criminal abuse your card.

This is called a "scam". They use tricks like:

• calling you and claiming to be from the fraud division of a card issuer
• "We need your help to investigate a bad transaction on your card account"
• "Please help us correct address errors".

Be safe when strangers ask you for information:

• never give any information about your cards to anyone who calls you
• call the card issuer's regular phone number listed on your statement. This means you know that you're talking to the right people.

Emails from your card issuer

Sometimes an email seems to come from a card issuer. This is called "phishing". If the email tells you to provide or change details using a link in the email - delete the email.

• do not provide account or card details by email or reply to emails seeking these details. Your financial institution will never request these details from you by email
• do not supply any details about accounts or cards in response to an unsolicited email. Your financial institution will never request these details from you by email. If in doubt, call the institution using the regular phone number on your statement
• check if the communication is legitimate. Check for bad spelling, odd formatting, and strange addresses of websites or return emails. Legitimate corporate emails are always carefully written and well-presented
• only ever go to the card issuer's home page or your own bookmarks/favourites; never click on a link in an email you've been sent.

Prevent fraud

New card

• sign the card immediately
• update your Secure Sentinel details with the card details
• do not record any PIN on the card
• do not record any PIN and store it near the card. If both your card and PIN are lost or stolen together it is much easier for a thief to use the card
• memorise any PIN and destroy the PIN advice slip.

Using your card

• keep your card in sight during transactions
• never tell anyone your card's PIN
• never let anyone see your card's PIN (ATMs and EFTPOS terminals are easily watched by thieves)
• at ATMs be discreet when withdrawing money
• after a transaction, take your card and receipt. At an ATM, if you don't need the receipt dispose of it in the secure bin at the ATM. That way account details are not in your wallet or purse with your card.
• at an ATM, check to see if the card slot or cash dispenser looks tampered with. Card readers can be inserted at the mouth of ATM card readers. If there are signs of tampering:
• cancel the transaction
• take your card
• alert the ATM owner immediately.

Cheques

• keep your cheque book in a safe place
• store your cheque book on its own. Avoid storing your cheque book with personal ID like a driver's licence or passport. If both are lost or stolen together then fraud is easier
• do not pre-sign cheques
• do not leave word details blank. If unsure of the amount, write "not more than" and the maximum possible amount in the "amount" field
• fill up unused word spaces on the cheque with a horizontal line to prevent additions being made
• use a pen to write cheques, never pencil
• cross cheques with 'not negotiable'.
• when mailing cheques use a plain (not window) envelope and ensure the cheque cannot be seen

Statements

• check all transaction details on your statements.
• transaction you don't recognise? Call the card issuer immediately.
• statement not arrived on time? Contact the card issuer. The statement has information that helps a criminal seem to be you.
• lock or secure your letterbox.
• keep statements in a safe place. Do not leave them lying around. Dispose of statements carefully when no longer needed.

Phone and internet banking/shopping

• do not use public phones (including phones in hotel rooms) for phone banking. A phone system can capture phone banking codes without anyone knowing. One-time code generators issued by banks make such access less insecure but not perfectly secure
• do not use public facilities like internet cafes or hotel systems for internet banking. Computers can capture account details without anyone knowing. One-time code generators issued by banks make such access less insecure but not perfectly secure
• keep your phone and internet banking access codes safe:
• never let anyone see you enter your access codes
• do not write your access codes on or near the computer or telephone you use.
• do not write your access codes on anything that could be used to identify you or is easily lost or stolen
• change access codes regularly
• do not use the same PIN, access code, or password for every service you use
• do not let anyone else use your access codes
• install adequate security measures like a spam filter and firewall on your computer.
• save official log-in website pages in a favourites or bookmark folder. Do not go to logins from emails. This reduces the risk of mistakes or deception.
• use secure websites. These have a padlock icon at the bottom of the web browser or have 'https' in the website address.
• don't allow images in your emails. Criminals use images to verify a real email address, or carry spy programs that activate when downloaded:
• set your email program to hide embedded images in emails
• to see images from legitimate senders, click the "view images" button at the top of the email message.

Choosing your PIN or access code

Criminals take lots of time to explore all possibilities because the payoff can be so great for them.

• use a code that you find easy to remember without writing it down.
• avoid using letters or numbers that a thief can guess. Criminals can guess passwords from important parts of your life such as:
• birth dates
• phone numbers
• post codes
• Have a different code for each account.

Disclaimer

Any representation, statement, opinion or advice, expressed or implied in this publication is made in good faith but on the basis that the Secure Sentinel is not liable (whether by reason of negligence, lack of care or otherwise) to any person for damage or loss whatsoever, which has occurred or may occur in relation to that person taking or not taking (as the case may be) action in respect of any representation, statement or advice referred to above.