Most people use plastic cards such as debit and credit card for increased ease and convenience, and these cards have become increasingly popular over the years. However, whilst using plastic does bring with it ease, convenience, and the increased security of not having to carry cash around with you, it also comes with a range of risks, namely risks associated with fraud.

Plastic card crime has soared over the years, and the more popular plastic cards have become the more scope fraudsters have enjoyed to carry out criminal activity such as credit card fraud and identity theft. Most people are only too aware of the dangers of plastic card fraud, which can result in immense stress, inconvenience, and financial losses. However, despite this knowledge many cardholders do not take adequate steps to protect themselves as much as possible against fraudulent activity.

In fact, officials from one consumer campaign group have said that some people make it all too ease for fraudsters to get away with this sort of criminal activity by being too slack about their credit card accounts. Officials from Which? have said that many consumers are failing to exercise enough security when it comes to their plastic cards, and these are the types of people that credit and debit card fraudsters prey on because it makes their work far easier.

One of the dangers that were highlighted was the fact that many people are using the same PIN for all of their plastic cards. Whilst this may seem like a good idea to ensure that you do not have to try and remember separate PINs for all credit cards, it also makes the work of the fraudster far easier. Once the fraudster has your PIN number he or she can access all of your credit card accounts as well as your bank account because the PIN is the same for all of them.

Another danger that was mentioned was the fact that consumers often use very weak passwords to protect their accounts – passwords that can often be guessed, such as the consumer’s date of birth, a child’s date of birth, or a mother’s maiden name. Again, there are ways and means by which fraudsters can find such information out, and it is unlikely to take them much time to access an account if the password can be easily guessed from personal information.

One official from Which? stated: “There’s a lot more people can do to prevent fraud occurring. Shredding documents and checking your bank statements are a good start, but people need to be wise to basic fraud risks such as using their mother’s maiden name as a password, or shopping on websites that aren’t secure.”

Another industry official added: “If someone wants to steal your identity it can be possible to discover your mother’s name before she got married. And using just one Pin number for several cards obviously exposes you if you have the details of any card stolen from you.”

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