Overview
Online fraud is a threat to all internet users and has become a major concern for banks and credit card companies.
Howto
There are some simple steps that anyone can follow to minimise the risk of being defrauded:
- first, protect your personal identity and data
- secondly, avoid using debit cards since there is no liability on the issuer to ensure that you received the goods or services purchased and your bank account details are automatically disclosed to the merchant
- thirdly, consider using one of the internet payment systems (such as PayPal or Nochex), which allow you to make payments without revealing any credit or debit card details
- fourthly, for UK consumers, consider using a credit card for larger purchases, since the credit card issuer is jointly liable with the merchant for supplying the goods or services that you've bought. This doesn't apply to purchases from outside the UK, nor to non-UK issued credit cards, debit cards or internet payment systems.
