How to Monitor Debit Card Fraud

Debit card fraud causes individuals and financial institutions millions of dollars each year. The most common threat is "skimming," where thieves hack into payment networks, attach a skimming device to merchant terminals or ATMs, use cameras to capture PINs (Personal Identification Numbers), or simply looking over shoulders and memorizing PINs. Online, phishing emails can fool users into giving away their PINs, and spyware/malware can intercept keystrokes and send sensitive data back to thieves.

Instructions

1

Monitor your account statements frequently. Make use of online banking to track all transactions against the account to check for suspicious or fraudulent activity.

2

Protect your PIN. Memorize the code and do not keep it written on your card or anything else in your wallet. Choose a code that is not easy to guess, such as your birth date. Do not allow by-standers to see you enter your PIN in ATMs or merchant terminals. Do not give your PIN over the phone, and do not click on un-trusted links in emails that send you to Web pages asking you to enter your PIN.

3

Eliminate blank areas on receipts, such as tip lines on restaurant bills, so that thieves cannot change the total amount charged.

4

Use fraud alert functions provided by your financial institution. When travelling, tell your card issuer the exact dates of arrival and departure, and ask that any charges that appear from your destination after you leave to return home be reported to you and are treated with suspicion.

5

Check your credit report regularly. Make sure that nothing appears that you do not recognize as legitimate. Immediately report any suspicious information to the credit bureaus.

6

Minimize paper trails. Do not leave your PIN in areas accessible to others. Take all purchase or ATM receipts and destroy them with a paper shredder when they are no longer needed. If available, sign up for online banking and electronic statements to reduce the threat of mail theft.

7

Use firewall and anti-virus software on your computer. Firewalls prevent unneeded Internet connections to or from your computer. Use a reputable anti-virus program that includes protection from spyware/malware and consistently keep it updated to protect you against newer threats. Make sure that websites you purchase from use secure connections for optimal protection for data sent to the website.