Fraud 101: How to Protect Your Credit Cards While Holiday Shopping
It’s important to stay alert to potential credit card fraud. Scammers often take advantage of busy shopping seasons both in stores and online.
Follow these smart tips to protect your credit cards and prevent fraud while shopping during the holiday season or any time of year.
1. Check Your Accounts Regularly for Fraud
Monitor your accounts frequently using your financial institution's online banking or mobile app to keep track of balances and transactions. The sooner you spot suspicious activity, the easier it is to stop it. If you notice any unauthorized or fraudulent charges, contact your card issuer immediately.
Veridian's online banking and mobile app has fraud tools built in to help you stay on top of your finances.
2. Report Lost or Stolen Cards Right Away
If your card is lost or stolen, freeze or block your account immediately to prevent anyone from using it. Acting fast can greatly reduce the chance of fraud or identity theft.
With Veridian's mobile app, you can use Card Control to shut off your card with the tap of a button.
3. Always Get a Receipt
Before leaving the checkout counter, make sure your transaction is complete and that you’ve received your receipt. This helps verify the purchase and provides documentation if you later need to dispute a charge. If you're shopping online, make sure you save a screenshot of your receipt, or keep it in your email inbox.
4. Travel Light When Shopping
Carry only the cards you plan to use. Fewer cards in your wallet means fewer accounts to protect if something goes missing. Avoid keeping cards loose in your pocket where they can easily be dropped or misplaced.
5. Use Secure Mobile Wallets
Add your cards to Apple Pay®, Google Pay® or other mobile wallets. Mobile payments are often more secure than physical cards because they use encrypted tokens instead of your actual card number, keeping your information out of merchants’ databases.
6. Avoid Shopping on Public Wi-Fi and Shared Computers
Never enter credit card information on public computers or unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Hackers can use these to steal your credit card numbers, passwords, and personal data. If you must shop online away from home, use your mobile network instead of public Wi-Fi.
7. Shop Only on Secure Websites
When shopping online, always check for “https://” at the beginning of the web address. The “s” stands for “secure.” While this doesn’t guarantee legitimacy, its absence is a major red flag.
8. Stick to Trusted Retailers When Shopping Online
Limit your online purchases to well-known, reputable merchants. Be wary of links in emails or pop-ups that seem suspicious. If you’re not sure where a link leads, go directly to the retailer’s website by typing the address yourself.
9. Skip Browser Autofill
While autofill makes shopping faster, saving personal or payment info in your browser increases the risk of theft. Instead, manually enter your card information or use a secure password manager to protect your credentials.
Many online merchants allow you to pay directly with your mobile wallet, making payments fast and secure.
10. Keep Your Devices Protected
Ensure your phone, tablet, and computer have updated antivirus software and the latest security patches installed. These updates close known vulnerabilities and help keep hackers out.
Stay Safe and Shop Smart
Taking a few extra precautions now can help you shop confidently and keep your accounts secure all season long.
