Finding fraud on your account can be scary, but there are ways to prevent your accounts from being hacked.
- Keep Track Of Your Transactions
- If you receive mail statements, review them as soon as you receive them
- If you use online banking, you should check your accounts at least once a week
- The sooner you find fraudulent activity the better
- PIN
- Make your PIN something you can easily remember, but hard for others to figure out
- Do not write your PIN on your cards or a piece of paper in your wallet or purse
- Keep your PIN to yourself, only share it with people that you can trust
- Transactions
- Do not sign a blank receipt
- Cross out blank space on receipts so the final total cannot be altered
- Check your receipt before you pay, or leave the merchant to check for discrepancies
- Cards
- Destroy expired cards, do not just throw them in the trash
- Only carry the cards you use regularly
- Keep card numbers, expiration dates, and contact information in a safe place in case your card is lost or stolen
- Phone Calls
- Unless you initiate the phone call, do not give out your account or card number over the phone
- Document suspicious calls:
- The phone number that called you,
- The representative’s name & title, and
- The name of the company.
- Contact your financial institution immediately after a scam call to ensure your accounts have not been hacked