Credit Card Fraud: Protecting your Charge Card and Pin
Author: John Published Under: Information Security
Credit Card fraud is very common and incredibly costly. One of the most profitable types of credit card fraud relies upon the criminal having not only the credit card number, but also the victims Pin number, which will allow them to withdraw money from remote ATMs. For this reason, it is essential to always protect your ATM Pin number.
Protecting Your Pin Number
One of the most obvious mistakes many people make is to carry their PIN number with their credit card. This could be because they simply can not remember it or because they recently have a new card and put the letter with the pin number in their wallet. There are even some who will even write their Pin number on the back of their card.
This is very dangerous, because if the criminal steals the victims wallet, they will also have the Pin number. It is also the easiest type of fraud to prevent, simply by never having your pin number in the same place as your credit card.
Paying Attention at the ATM
One of the most dangerous areas for a consumer is the ATM. This provides a remote area where the criminal can operate with less risk, while being exposed to hundreds of credit cards each days.
Often, criminals will use a technique called shoulder surfing, which simply involves peering over the victims shoulder as they enter their PIN. They will often engage the victim, to put them at ease, using various social engineering techniques.
For this reason, it is important to pay attention to anyone that is standing behind you at the ATM and ask them to back up if they are too close. It is also important to be wary of people who are friendly, of course not to the point of being rude, but simply because it is not uncommon for criminals to rely on human nature and charm to help put the victim at ease. Always make certain that you are blocking others view with your back and there is no way anyone could see the keypad.
However, criminals can also install camera systems, which have a clear shot of the number pad. These can be installed on the actual ATM, using a very small pinhole camera or could be far away with a telephoto lens. As a result, it is very important to pay attention to details and changes around the ATM, such as a new set of brochures stuck to the wall, which could conceal a hidden camera.
It is a good idea to stand as close as possible to the keypad, shielding it with your hand. Watch for suspicious individuals, as well as paying attention to areas where a camera could be placed providing a view of the keypad .
In many cases, the camera might be in plane view as well. For example, there have been cases where security cameras, both fake and real, were used. The cameras are in the open and blatantly obvious, however, since it is a security camera, the consumer will often not pay any attention to or even only notice it on a subconscious level.
Criminals will even sometimes hack the security system of the business or plant one of their own cameras in place, which resembles store security. For this reason, it is important to not only consider the cameras you cannot see, but also the ones in plane sight when it comes to protecting your credit card information.
Be Wary if the Machine Eats Your Card
If your credit card is ever taken by the ATM, make sure that you contact the credit card company right away, preferably without leaving the ATM. There are several credit card theft schemes that involve disabling the ATM so that the credit card is not returned to the victim and then retrieving the credit card when they leave.
A common trick is for the criminal to place a box over the card reader, so the box traps the card. Perhaps modeled after daffy duck, another scheme involves putting a long piece of plastic into the card reader. The plastic prevents the card from being read and also from being ejected. The criminal can then tug on the plastic and remove it, with the credit card.
Since the life span of a credit card is so much shorter this way, as a result of the person knowing right away something is wrong, it is very likely that the criminal is close by. They will need to act quickly, to get as much money as possible before the card is canceled. As a result, while it is a good idea to not leave the ATM, it is important to be very wary of anyone nearby.