Protect your cards and accounts this Christmas

Protect your cards and accounts this Christmas to avoid upset

It’s the season to be jolly but joy can turn to woe quickly if you’re not careful with your money, warns Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden.

“Everybody’s busy in December and looking forward to winding down and relaxing over the summer break, but you still need to make sure you look after your money.

“This means taking appropriate care of your cards and PINs and being vigilant when you are online – whether it’s shopping, emailing or doing your banking. Being busy or in holiday mode is not a defence when you’re the victim of a crime and your bank sees signs of carelessness or negligence on your part.

“Don’t leave your wallet unattended in your bag on the beach, in the pool changing sheds or any other unsecured place. Every year we deal with complaints from people who’ve ended up out of pocket because they weren’t careful enough,” Ms Sladden said.

Some tips to keep your cards and PINs safe these Christmas holidays:

• don’t leave your cards unattended when out and about

• take care where you leave your cards and make sure you always know where they are

• don’t reveal your card PIN to anybody or write it down

• take care to ensure nobody can see when entering your PIN and if you think they may have done, contact your bank as soon as possible.

Some tips to keep your money safe online:

• make sure you know who you’re dealing with online and that they are reputable

• never accept money into your account to transfer to others

• never give out any passwords

• avoid conducting your finances online in public Wi-Fi zones as they aren’t secure

• check your accounts regularly to ensure money is only going where you want it to

• if you’re emailing somebody about transferring money, check arrangements with them using another means of communication in case your emails have been hacked

• contact your bank immediately if you think you have been scammed – it may be able to reverse the charges but not if you have been duped into authorizing the payment.

See our Quick Guides on Looking after your credit and debit cards and PINs and Contactless technology, and Common scams targeting bank customers.

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