Make sure that PIN's secure

APACS, the UK payments association, has published a consumer advice guide - 'Protect your PIN' - to remind cardholders of the need to keep their PIN safe and secure at all times.

Chip and PIN has made our cards much less likely to be used fraudulently in shops and stores in the UK. However, fraudsters continue to try and copy our cards' magnetic stripe details to create fake cards that can be used overseas, in countries that don't have chip and PIN.

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If the fraudster has also obtained the card's PIN they may be able to make fraudulent cash machine withdrawals in non-chip and PIN countries. Raising consumer awareness about the importance of keeping PINs safe and secure can play an important part in tackling this type of fraud.

Research from APACS reveals that not all cardholders are taking the appropriate steps to protect themselves fully from fraudsters. Indeed, the 2006 Attitudes to Card Fraud survey showed that 20% of cardholders rarely or never shield their PIN when entering it at a cash machine. Similarly, 27% of people admitted to using the same PIN for all their cards.

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'Protect your PIN' is an easy-to-read guide aimed to help improve consumer understanding of these issues and shows how to better protect cards from fraud.

Available to download from www.apacs.org.uk and www.cardwatch.org.uk, the two-page guide outlines useful facts, statistics and tips, plus advice on how to remember PINs and protect them whenever they are used.

17 August 2007 © Moneyextra.com

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