Holders of Credit Cards: Beware of Hackers |
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Last night I dreamt that my credit cards showed staggering difference in the balance even though I hadn't indulged in a heavy shopping. I was stunned. Then I realized, at once, that my credit cards are being lavishly used by someone else! I got up with a jerk. Thank God, it was a dream! But there are cardholders worldwide who have, unfortunately, experienced this in reality, paying millions of dollars due to some nerd. Credit card hacking is the biggest fear of online shoppers. Credit card hacking means having your credit cards details stolen by online cheats who, then, happily go on a shopping spree using your credit card. Shield Your Credit Cards from Hackers Hacking may not really pose a threat provided you choose a reputed website. Here, let me tell you about "secure" web pages. These are marked with the presence of a small padlock symbol in the status bar at the bottom of the web page. When opening a secure web page, no sooner you click the Buy button, than a message appears on a new page informing you that the page you've entered is secure. In addition to this, the address of a secure web page begins with "https' rather than the standard "http". The extra "s" denotes secure. How does a secure web page work? It locks up credit card details you enter, before it reaches the retailer, so that no one can access your credit card information as they move across the Internet. No wonder hackers are shrewd people. Many of them have even managed to tamper with the central computer systems of various banks and retailers and stolen credit cards information. Last year, there had been major hacking incidents been reported by the holders of two most prominent credit cards. These incidents had to do with a few million credit card accounts. There's also something called "phishing" scams. Watch out for them! You might get sham emails that seem authentic and make you think they are from a valid online retailer, bank or credit card company. Such frauds befool you into giving out your credit cards details. Most people are too smart to fall into this trap. There are always exceptions that are unable to smell a fish, and inadvertently give their credit card information. If credit card companies question the authenticity of your credit card information and want to verify it, don't allow them to just like that. You should first interrogate them regarding certain issues, through a phone call and demand a copy of last month's statement from them by fax. This step is for your own security. Remember, no genuine credit card companies will verify your credit card information via e-mail, which is such an insecure tool. Also, most credit cards companies only inquire your pin number or last 4 digits of a number you have granted to give access to your account for any information. Beware of the stunts of the racketeers, who ruthlessly use your credit cards, and in no time, reduce your good credit into shambles. Entrapped In A Scam? If you have innocently gotten yourself into a scam, don't panic. Do this 1. Immediately report your dilemma to your credit card company. 2. Examine your credit cards statements, financial documents and balances. If you find any variation, rush to your bank and acknowledge them about the treacherous act. Besides this, under such circumstances, most banks will enter you into a fraud report list that will persist on your credit report. This will make it a tough task for the culprit to create new credit cards or open new accounts without justifying their authenticity through some lawful identification in person. 3. You should also contact your local police station and file a report against the offence. This will protect you, in case; some illegal activities take place through your credit card. Be a cautious credit card holder and outwit the sly hackers! |
