Tens of thousands of people fall for the same scam each year. Your phone rings, and the person on the other line supposedly works for your credit card company or another company with which you are likely a customer.
During the conversation, the customer service representative asks you to verify your credit card number. But should you?
Never. In fact, credit card companies, banks, and payment processing firms all state that they will never ask you for your card number. The issue here is security; by opening up the idea that the other person on the other end of the line might actually ask about your card number, thousands of people get scammed each year. The scammers usually collect hundreds of card numbers per day, often praying on senior citizens and new credit card users who simply want to figure out why a credit card company might be calling them in the first place.
Here are a few other tips to keeping your credit cards safe:
Avoid RFID cards – Radio frequency identification cards have been in use for several years now. The first form of a non-swipe method for making credit card payments, RFID chips can be read from more than 30 feet away. Opt for RFID-free cards when possible, as the readers are in many cases so rare that you’ll be hard pressed to actually use the feature.
Keep other cards at home – You probably have a favorite credit card or two. Leave all cards you do not intend to use at home, where they’ll be much more secure should your wallet be lost or stolen.
Never click on emailed links – Always go directly to your credit card company’s site to make a payment or check on a bill. Going directly to the site avoids dangerous phishing emails.
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