Any user of a bank card can become a victim of scammers. Therefore, it is important to know their tricks and follow the safety rules.
Theft of the 21st century: how to secure your bank cards?
Today more and more people prefer to use bank cards for convenient and quick payment for purchases both online and in traditional stores. However, they should know that it is carding (theft of funds from payment cards) that is one of the most popular types of fraud. Every year, fraudsters invent more and more sophisticated schemes for stealing money from bank cards. Even the most advanced protection systems sometimes fail. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful.
Fake phone calls (vishing) A fraudster can call the victim, introduce himself as an employee of a financial institution and, under the threat of blocking the bank account, demand information about the payment card (number, expiration date, security code). The received data will be used to steal funds - it is enough to make an online payment. Cardholders need to remember that a real banker will never ask such questions over the phone.
Fake websites of payment services, online stores, online banking (phishing). Fraudsters can create (or copy the design) of a card-to-card transfer service or send the user a letter on behalf of the bank with a request to log in to the resource. In both cases, the scammers will steal the victim's data through the forms for entering the details.
Theft of bank cards. This is the most common way of stealing. A fraudster will not be able to withdraw money from a stolen credit card at an ATM, because for this operation you need to know the victim's PIN. But paying on the Internet or in a store (if the card is contactless) is quite.
Theft of data from an ATM. There are several types of devices that allow a fraudster to steal the payment information of an ATM user. Overlays on the keyboard and cameras allow you to read the PIN-code, plugs on the card reader fix the card details to create a duplicate (skimming) or block the "plastic" inside the ATM (card trapping). The most sophisticated scammers plant traps inside the ATM so that they cannot be seen with the naked eye (and dropping). If you notice that a third-party device is attached to the ATM or the ATM does not work as usual, you should not use it to withdraw funds.
Virus applications for online banking. By downloading applications from unreliable suppliers, the user can also download a virus to his device that infects the online banking system. Most often, these types of malware extract information about the victim's logins and passwords in order to further steal funds.
This is not a complete list of scammers' tricks - there are regular news that scammers have found another way to steal funds from cards. However, if you follow simple safety rules, you can save both your card and your money.
- Do not store your passwords in public places. Choose a secure PIN for a bank card and a password for online banking (PIN code 1111, or Password is a bad idea)
- Remember that your bank card details are confidential information. It must be used strictly as directed. Thus, a PIN code can be entered at an ATM and at a supermarket checkout. And the credit card expiration date and the CVV2 / CVC2 code are for Internet payments. In other situations, you should not provide this data, even if you receive a call from the bank. They may well be scammers. If in doubt, call the financial institution yourself, at the official phone number (printed on the back of the credit card)
- Do not enter your bank card details on dubious sites. Remember that scammers can create a website that looks a lot like the official one. But you can still distinguish a fake - such a site will not be registered in the "ua" zone and will not receive a secure HTTPS: // address. Also, errors in the texts are often found on such resources.
- Use ATMs and terminals in bank premises - this way there is less risk that intruders installed readers on them
- Set your own limit for paying for online purchases, as well as connect SMS-informing about payments
- Do not send credit card details via email or social media
- Connect the one-time password service (3D Secure) to your credit card. The bank will then send you a code to confirm each online transaction.
- If you do not want to pay with your main card online, start a separate "plastic" (you can virtual) and transfer funds to it immediately before the purchase.
- Never enter card details in pop-ups that suddenly appear on top of official websites
Despite the fact that information about payment card protection methods is freely available, few cardholders comply with them. According to the Department of Payment Systems and Innovative Development of the National Bank of Ukraine, the share of illegal transactions with payment cards in Ukraine in 2021 increased to 92 UAH per 1 million UAH of transactions. In 2020, this figure was 77 UAH. The average check for fraudulent transactions totaled about UAH 2.5 thousand. Fake phone calls and e-mails from banks were among the most popular methods of theft from bank cards. Experts believe that in order to reduce the level of card fraud, it is necessary to improve the financial literacy of the population.
Theft of the 21st century: how to secure your bank cards?
Today more and more people prefer to use bank cards for convenient and quick payment for purchases both online and in traditional stores. However, they should know that it is carding (theft of funds from payment cards) that is one of the most popular types of fraud. Every year, fraudsters invent more and more sophisticated schemes for stealing money from bank cards. Even the most advanced protection systems sometimes fail. Therefore, you need to be extremely careful.
Main types of card fraud
Criminals use various methods to gain illegal access to funds. The most popular ones are:Fake phone calls (vishing) A fraudster can call the victim, introduce himself as an employee of a financial institution and, under the threat of blocking the bank account, demand information about the payment card (number, expiration date, security code). The received data will be used to steal funds - it is enough to make an online payment. Cardholders need to remember that a real banker will never ask such questions over the phone.
Fake websites of payment services, online stores, online banking (phishing). Fraudsters can create (or copy the design) of a card-to-card transfer service or send the user a letter on behalf of the bank with a request to log in to the resource. In both cases, the scammers will steal the victim's data through the forms for entering the details.
Theft of bank cards. This is the most common way of stealing. A fraudster will not be able to withdraw money from a stolen credit card at an ATM, because for this operation you need to know the victim's PIN. But paying on the Internet or in a store (if the card is contactless) is quite.
Theft of data from an ATM. There are several types of devices that allow a fraudster to steal the payment information of an ATM user. Overlays on the keyboard and cameras allow you to read the PIN-code, plugs on the card reader fix the card details to create a duplicate (skimming) or block the "plastic" inside the ATM (card trapping). The most sophisticated scammers plant traps inside the ATM so that they cannot be seen with the naked eye (and dropping). If you notice that a third-party device is attached to the ATM or the ATM does not work as usual, you should not use it to withdraw funds.
Virus applications for online banking. By downloading applications from unreliable suppliers, the user can also download a virus to his device that infects the online banking system. Most often, these types of malware extract information about the victim's logins and passwords in order to further steal funds.
This is not a complete list of scammers' tricks - there are regular news that scammers have found another way to steal funds from cards. However, if you follow simple safety rules, you can save both your card and your money.
How to protect your card from fraudsters?
Often people who are poorly informed about the safety of their money are being tricked. There are several ways to help you save your money:- Do not store your passwords in public places. Choose a secure PIN for a bank card and a password for online banking (PIN code 1111, or Password is a bad idea)
- Remember that your bank card details are confidential information. It must be used strictly as directed. Thus, a PIN code can be entered at an ATM and at a supermarket checkout. And the credit card expiration date and the CVV2 / CVC2 code are for Internet payments. In other situations, you should not provide this data, even if you receive a call from the bank. They may well be scammers. If in doubt, call the financial institution yourself, at the official phone number (printed on the back of the credit card)
- Do not enter your bank card details on dubious sites. Remember that scammers can create a website that looks a lot like the official one. But you can still distinguish a fake - such a site will not be registered in the "ua" zone and will not receive a secure HTTPS: // address. Also, errors in the texts are often found on such resources.
- Use ATMs and terminals in bank premises - this way there is less risk that intruders installed readers on them
- Set your own limit for paying for online purchases, as well as connect SMS-informing about payments
- Do not send credit card details via email or social media
- Connect the one-time password service (3D Secure) to your credit card. The bank will then send you a code to confirm each online transaction.
- If you do not want to pay with your main card online, start a separate "plastic" (you can virtual) and transfer funds to it immediately before the purchase.
- Never enter card details in pop-ups that suddenly appear on top of official websites
Despite the fact that information about payment card protection methods is freely available, few cardholders comply with them. According to the Department of Payment Systems and Innovative Development of the National Bank of Ukraine, the share of illegal transactions with payment cards in Ukraine in 2021 increased to 92 UAH per 1 million UAH of transactions. In 2020, this figure was 77 UAH. The average check for fraudulent transactions totaled about UAH 2.5 thousand. Fake phone calls and e-mails from banks were among the most popular methods of theft from bank cards. Experts believe that in order to reduce the level of card fraud, it is necessary to improve the financial literacy of the population.
