Save your identity
A new monthly advice column about technology for our clients
The holiday season is upon us and one piece of technology you probably use all the time will be getting a workout. This would be your credit or debit card. Now at all the retailers and restaurants that you will visit over the holidays, think how may times your card will be out of your hands and out of sight. This is the time when an unscrupulous employee can “skim” your card number. Basically, a person can go online, buy a credit card “skimmer” for 20 dollars and be able to record your credit/debit card information with just a swipe. However, they need one more number to make the fraud complete. This would be the CVV code. This code is normally a three or four digit number on the front or back of your card. It is used to verify you as the owner of the card.
Now we’ll give you a tip to help protect you against this type of fraud. Get a small piece of masking tape (the tan type), cut it into a square and place it over the CVV number on your card. When you go out to eat or shopping and discover that the tape has been tampered with or removed, you can takes steps to cancel your card before any fraud takes place.
Of course there is a lot more to this type of fraud, such as fraudsters recording other credit card numbers on their personal cards and using them in shopping via skimming. We’ll stick to what you can do without a lot of technical knowledge or fuss.
By Mike Meikle
