There are numerous reasons why you ought to never save your payment information on a website in the hope that you will not get scammed. The worst thing that you could do is to give your credit card number out online. For one thing, everything that you key in is going to be for the world to see and for others this is really not an appealing feeling. It is also illegal to give out personal information over the internet and if you do so, you are committing fraud.
What you must do instead is to protect yourself by watching all of your credit card information carefully and keeping it safe. This can be accomplished by shredding all of it (save one statement). You must never save your payment information online, in general. Scammers know how to take advantage of this and are quite good at it too.
They will even use it to apply for new credit cards in your name. If this happens to you, then your first instinct might be to throw up a red flag and stop everything right then and there. This isn’t the smartest thing for you to do.
Scammers can be identified and tracked through the use of a credit report. If you ever come across any type of dodgy site or URL that asks you for your information, then chances are good that you have found a scammer. Not only does it cost you money to cancel your account, but this information is also available to anyone else who is in the market for credit in your name. This could open up a whole new range of problems for you.
In most cases, it’s best to just cancel the card. Never give out your information again. However, if you absolutely must have a credit card, don’t purchase one. It’s the safest way to protect yourself. Don’t keep it in your wallet either because it can easily be stolen. And once you’ve had your card for a while, write down the security code that will enable you to gain access to your account when you need to.
Never save your payment info online on your mobile phone. Mobile phone companies are becoming increasingly diligent in the detection of fraud and you will get hit with a ban if you attempt to access your account via a cell phone. As a general rule, you’ll have to have either your full name and address printed on a piece of paper (a temporary license) and keep this with your mobile phone or hide it somewhere out of sight. If you have access to your account via your computer, then print this out as well and store it somewhere safe.
Avoid sharing your PIN online. If you share your PIN with someone online, beware that they may steal your credit cards numbers. You may have to contact credit card companies and alert them that you saw unauthorized activity in your accounts. They usually respond quickly and can stop any unauthorized transactions. Just be aware that they could also sue you. Never share your PIN in an online setting.
Never give out your PIN to anyone. Use credit cards at retail stores only and use the ATM for purchases only. Use it only in the place where you know you shouldn’t be giving out your PIN. If you do use a credit card at a retail location, either ask for a salesperson’s assistance or watch for their warning light to turn on.
Be careful when answering your telephone. Never give your credit or debit information when picking up the phone and speaking to customer support representatives. Do not give this information over the phone unless you’re certain that the person is a legitimate representative of the bank or credit card institution. If you’re ever uncomfortable about giving out your information, just wait for the customer service representative to finish talking and dial you back.
Never write down personal information on a credit card. If a person calls with an offer to send money to you, don’t be tempted to accept the offer until you’ve carefully looked over the credit card information. Doing so will open up many new credit card accounts for the caller. Don’t even consider writing down this information if you’re going to a restaurant that accepts only cash.
One final tip: don’t let anyone persuade you to sign up for more than one credit card or loan. If you get multiple credit card offers in a short period of time, this can look suspicious. It will also show that you’re desperate for money. You should also keep in mind that just because multiple credit cards are offered to you by one company doesn’t mean you should accept them. It’s best to use just one credit card from the start. This way, if you do accept an offer, it will be with the knowledge that you have several other options available if your financial situation changes later.