Are you shielding your PIN?

September 4, 2007

When you have any type of card, whether it is a credit card or a debit card, the main thing that you should always remember is your pin number. We all know the dangers of identity fraud and we have received numerous warnings about protecting our financial details by covering up our pins from praying eyes. However, it seems that some people are just not listening to this advice and their finances are really paying the price for it too.

Now when you are out shopping and you are so wrapped up in the experience of it all, it is easy to forget the hazards when paying with your card. It could be that you assume nobody will steal your details in your local supermarket as there are just too many people around. Or perhaps you think that the person stood behind you at the ATM would have more sense than to look over your shoulder when other people could see them? Whilst both of these points are understandable, unfortunately there are people out there who do not care about the risk of getting caught. Gaining access to your personal financial details would be much more rewarding than the threat of getting caught and so they really do not care.

Another thing that you have to remember is that pin numbers also get stolen when you write them down. It could be that you have written your pin number on a piece of paper and after memorising it, you have then thrown it in the garbage. All it takes is for an identity thief to come along and look through the bag and they will have your pin number. Also, even if there is nobody stood behind you at the ATM, you could be being watched from a hidden camera which many fraudsters set up. So by covering your pin, you will successfully be protecting your identity if there is such a device at the ATM you are using.

Overall credit card fraud is a big problem and you should ideally do everything you can to cover up your number; even when you think that nobody is watching.