Keep Your Cards Safe with these Tips

Podcast Transcription

Money Talk is a podcast brought to you by PFCU where we will share tips and tricks and talk to the experts on all things finance related. Join us as we cover everything from credit and loans to cyber security and careers. No matter where you are in life, PFCU is here for you.

Liz: Hi, my name is Liz and I am the Executive Assistant here at PFCU so I get to do a variety of different things which I find very exciting.

Maddy: Cool! Well, thanks for doing this with me today. So for all the listeners out there, Liz has actually sent out a really nice newsletter to the staff at PFCU about ensuring that your credit cards and debit cards are secure and safe and there’s some really awesome tips on here so I thought that this would be a great platform for her to get on and share with all of you all of these awesome tips that she had shared with the employees here at the credit union.

Liz: Awesome, yeah. Thank you for having me, Maddy. I’m excited to be able to share these tips. A lot of these apply to both debit cards and credit cards so it’s just good information to know for all of them. And this is not information for just PFCU debit and credit cards, it’s for any that you may have from other institutions as well. One of the important ones, never write your PIN on your card and don’t keep your PIN number with your card. And that just makes it too easy if for some reason you lose your wallet or your purse gets stolen, that way they don’t have that information. And also, in choosing your PIN, don’t choose something simple like 1234 or your birth date. Again, it just makes it easier for people to get what your PIN is if they have access to it. And never ever give your PIN to anyone over the phone or online. If anyone is asking you for that PIN, then you really need to reevaluate the situation you’re in and why they’re asking because that should not be a question that you hear. It’s also important to never give your card or your PIN to anyone else. I think sometimes people don’t know that if you hand your card over to a family or friend and tell them what your PIN is and then they go and make transactions with it, you are still liable for those transactions. It’s not considered fraud at that point because you willingly gave that information over so that’s always really important. It’s also important to minimize the number of cards you carry with you. Again, that’s just security if you lose or your wallet get stolen. A great solution for this is mobile wallets such as our Apple pay, Google pay, Samsung pay, are all great options to have your card with you without have the physical card in your hand that someone can get ahold of. If for some reason you do have a lost or stolen card or you suspect fraud, you need to contact your issuer as soon as possible. Many apps that institutions have also allow you to turn the card off until you’re able to contact the issuer. I know PFCU has this feature on the SecurLOCK app that if your card is lost or stolen, you can turn the functions off when those transactions can go through and then you can contact us so you can let us know what’s going on so that we can move forward and get that card canceled and another one issued. Also, don’t throw your credit card receipt out at the store, always take the receipt with you. If you have the option at home to shred your receipt, that’s always a great option as well. Because there can be personal information on those receipts and again you don’t want those getting into the wrong hands. It’s also important to review your monthly statements for fraudulent or suspicious activity. You know your spending habits and what you normally do so pay attention to make sure there’s nothing out of the ordinary, it’s very important. You can also check your account online often to help catch the fraudulent or suspicious activity sooner instead of waiting for that monthly statement to come. That way you’re always watching it and knowing what’s going through your card. You can also create alerts through apps or online logins to your institution to your transactions so you are aware of when your card is being used. You can often customize these alerts for information such as transactions over a certain dollar amount or the geographic location of the charge. I know I use this feature a lot, I have it set up so every time my PFCU credit card is used, I get a text message alerting me of the transaction. It just tells me that transaction went through, what the dollar amount is.It doesn’t tell me where, I would have to login to know that information but that way I know when my card is getting used. And if I don’t recognize a transaction, I can login and make sure that it’s something I did.  

Maddy: Yeah that’s a super nice feature to have.

Liz: It is! I really like having that feature. And oftentimes I have recurring transactions that I know come through every month but then I also get a notification when those come through which is a great reminder as well. So, I feel like it’s a good reminder and it’s a good security feature to have.

Maddy: Right.

Liz: when you first get your card, make sure you sign the back of it before anyone has a chance to get it as well. When using your cards online, make sure you’re verifying the website is secure. You can often look in the corner of the URL and it will have a lock on it that says secure. You also can make sure that it’s a valid website that you’re familiar with. If it’s a company that you don’t know at all, really make sure it’s a secure website. If it’s someone or a company that you have used regularly then you have a little bit more history with it. But just making sure that you’re using your card on legitimate websites. Also, important to keep your information current and notify your credit card users if you have a change of address. That way your statement and information will go to your new address. That’s very important because if your card is expiring and they’re issuing you a new card, they’re going to send that to the address they have on file and you want to make sure that you have that updated with your institution so that they send a card to the right address so that there’s no chance of it getting into the hands of the wrong person. Ans also make sure your statements are coming to the correct address as well. A good solution for changing your address and having current statements is E-Statements. That way you’re not worried about them getting lost in the mail getting into the wrong hands. You can securely login online and you have your E-Statements available to you 24/7.

Maddy: Perfect! Yeah and you mentioned a lot of products that PFCU offers that probably a lot of credit unions, if not, most credit unions offer. You mentioned the SecurLOCK app where you can control your card, Mobile Wallets so you don’t have to carry all of your cards with you. That’s a lot safer of an option and then this last tip you mentioned E-Statements. That’s a great option to not have your statements mailed to you. Alright, that wraps up my interview with Liz. Thank you, Liz for sitting down with me and sharing those tips and tricks to keeping your debit and credit card information safe. I hope you all learned at least one thing that you can do to keep your information extra safe. And check out the products and services that we mentioned throughout the podcast too.

Money Talk is a podcast brought to you by PFCU. PFCU offers many products and services to fit your needs, from our various loan and account options to our team of financial coaches to help you reach your goals. Make sure to take advantage of the many conveniences PFCU offers such as the mobile app, mobile wallets, bill pay and more. Visit our website at PFCU the number four me dot com to learn more. PFCU is an equal housing lender and is federally insured by the NCUA.