Credit card skimming is when someone uses an electronic device to read the information off your credit and debit card to use later in the creation of a new card. Some thieves will use your numbers to shop online. You are at risk for credit and debit card skimming scams whenever you shop with your card instead of cash; or when you withdraw cash from an automated teller machine. If all card transactions put you at risk for credit card skimming scams, what steps can you take to avoid them?

Stop Using Credit and Debit Cards

The most obvious way to avoid credit or debit card skimming scams is by not using your cards and switching to cash transactions – but for many people this is not an option. You can reduce your use of cards by withdrawing money from inside the bank with a bank teller instead of using an ATM. If you’re unable to completely avoid using your credit and debit cards, the following tips will help you reduce your risk for skimming scams.

Review Transactions Carefully

Make sure you open your credit card statements and bank statements as soon as they arrive and review the transactions. If you have been the victim of a card skimming scam, it’s important that you recognize it immediately so you can notify the card company or bank and put a stop to future charges on the card. For many credit card companies, you need to notify them within a certain period of time after a fraudulent purchase has been made to limit your personal liability for fraudulent purchases to $0 or $50. If you fail to notify the company of potential problems as soon as they happen, you could be liable to pay for purchases you didn’t make. Debit cards have different rules for fraudulent purchases, and may differ between banks. Check with your bank to find out what their fraud policies are.

ATM Debit Card Safety

You will increase your safety when you use an ATM inside a bank branch rather than a drive through or outside ATM, since it is harder for a thief to install a skimming device on an ATM located inside the bank.

Card skimming at an ATM generally involves two devices – a unit that reads your card as you swipe or insert it into the ATM, and a tiny camera that literally records your PIN by watching you enter the numbers on the keypad. You can reduce your risks for card skimming at an ATM by checking the unit before you insert or swipe your card to make sure it doesn’t appear to have a skimming device installed; and for covering your hand when you enter your PIN to block view from a potential camera.

Gas Pumps, Restaurants, and Retailers

Every time you use your debit or credit card, you are at a risk for card skimming crimes. When putting gas in your car, you might want to pay inside instead of at the pump to reduce your risks when getting fuel. In restaurants where the waitress will disappear to another part of the restaurant to process your card payment, you might consider using cash, instead. At retailers, if you have any concern about the legitimacy of the credit card reader, you can always ask the cashier to enter your card number manually instead of swiping your card for payment.

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What are virtual credit cards?

Unlike your “real” credit card that you carry in your wallet or purse, a virtual credit card is actually just a series of numbers that is generated for use when making purchases online. Most major credit card issuers offer these single-use credit card numbers which are linked back to your real credit card. When you make a purchase you enter the generated virtual credit card number to pay for the transaction. In essence you are still using your credit card account to pay for the purchase however you are protecting your credit card information from hackers by using the one time or single-use number. This reduces or eliminates your risk of becoming a victim of credit card fraud because your virtual card number is of no use to a potential thief.

Benefits of using a virtual credit card.

• It is safer than using your personal credit card account information.
• Credit and debit card accounts can be used to generate a virtual credit card number.
• You set a spending limit on a virtual card and have a limited amount of time to use that number before it expires.
• Your personal account information remains private.
• Convenient and safe way to make online purchases.

It is easy to see why using a virtual credit card number is the safest way to process credit card transactions on the world wide web. There are instances where it is either inadvisable or not possible to use a virtual credit card online. Since your virtual credit card number expires within a few weeks of activation, using a virtual card number to pay reoccurring expenses such as cell phone or cable bills is not advisable. You also cannot use a virtual credit card to make reservations for hotels, car rentals or airline tickets.

Shop Online Without The Risk was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

As more and more information about the latest illness concerns is being brought out by reliable sources, namely the Centers for Disease Control, there are also many with less pleasant intentions taking to the internet to scam you out of your cash and maybe even your identity.

Scammers have already begun sending emails that are meant to appear as new warnings and information about swine flu but in reality pose a real problem to your computer and maybe even your finances. There are email attacks that contain attachments that, if opened, can redirect you to a phishing website or put your computer at risk for contracting a malicious code.

Internet security experts warn computer uses to take active precautions when it comes to dealing with email from sources you do not know or recognize. Never open any email attachment if you do not know the send. Install anti-virus protection and firewalls to protect your PC from attacks. Set your computer to filter spam emails. If an email provides a link in the body text, do not click on it. Delete the message immediately. Make sure your computer security is also kept up to date.

If you want reliable information about the swine flu or other concerns, speak with your doctor or contact the website for the local health agency in your area. Do not trust any website that has swine flu in the URL or any site that asks you to enter your personal or financial information to get more information. Experts report that already several dozen domain names have been reserved using swine flu in some form or another. Chances are good these new sites will try and sell you fake products or information, which many consumers will buy simply out of fear.

Do not let fear inhibit your common sense or your gut instinct. You can be proactive about protecting yourself, your personal information, and your computer and not fall victim to a new scam. There is a lot of unnecessary worries out there, driven by media attention but identity theft and fraud are very real concerns that can affect your health, your wealth, and your well-being.

Swine-Like Scammers Taking Advantage of Fear was created by and is property of American Consumer News.