Money matters, especially when it comes to safety and security. Experts from the Visa team agree that there are a few simple and straightforward guidelines that consumers, regardless of where they are, should adopt in order to ensure their money stays in the right hands.

Who’s there:
Never give your credit card number over the telephone, unless you have initiated the call yourself. There are alarmingly high numbers of incidents in which card holders are tricked into giving confidential information away. This information is strictly confidential and should never be given away to anyone claiming that they are phoning from your bank.

Online do’s and don’ts: While internet shopping is the new way to buy, fraudsters too are using this to steal your banking information. Be sure to only use a secure Internet browser. Identify security clues such as a lock image at the bottom of your browser or a URL that begins with https://. These signs indicate that only you and the merchant can view your payment information.

Avoid free for all’s: Look for a vendor’s website privacy policies regarding its access, security, and control of personal information, how the information will be used, and whether it will be provided to third parties.

Open to the public: Never send payment information via email. Information that travels over the internet is not fully protected from being read by outside parties.

Not as easy as 1, 2, 3: When selecting a Personal Identification Number (PIN), do not choose numbers and letters than can be easily identified or associated with you. Avoid using initials, phone number or birth date.

Use your brain: Never write down your PIN. Memorise it, and make sure than no one nearby can see you entering your PIN or transaction amount.

On record: After completing an ATM or debit transaction, remember to take your card and transaction record. Do not leave your receipt behind.

Destroy: Properly dispose of receipts and statements by shredding the materials before putting them in the trash.

Security first: Deposit your outgoing mail in a postal mailbox or at your local post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox.

Wipe it: Delete all personal information stored on your computer before disposing of it. It may not be enough to delete files or to reformat your hard drive. Use a "wipe" utility programme to overwrite the entire hard drive.


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