• Don’t hand over valuable card or bank account information to the fraudster. Fraudsters target cards and card details so try not to let them out of your sight. Don’t give away your PINs or bank passwords to cold callers or in response to unsolicited phone calls or e-mails (known as phishing scams). Never write down your PIN and keep it with your card.
• Keep your cards and card details safe in the real world. Most Internet, phone and mail order fraud happens because card details are stolen in the real world, so keep them safe at all times.  Despite chip and PIN you will still have a signature strip on your card and you should always sign the back of your card.
• Always check your statements. Check statements as soon as you receive them. If you find a transaction on your statement that you did not make, contact your bank or card company immediately. Tear up, or preferably shred, any documents that contain information relating to your financial affairs.
• Sign up whenever you are given the option whilst shopping online to Verified by Visa (www.visaeurope.com/verified) or MasterCard SecureCode (www.mastercard.co.uk/securecode). Increasingly when you go to pay online with your card you will be given the option of signing up to these schemes that involve you using a password. By signing up you will prevent a fraudster using your card details on participating sites as they will not know your password.
• Online shopping: Only shop at secure websites: ensure that the security icon - the locked padlock or unbroken key symbol - is showing in the bottom of your browser window before sending your card details. The beginning of the retailer’s Internet address will change from “http” to “https” when a purchase is made using a secure connection. Make sure your browser is set to the highest level of security notification and monitoring: the safety options are not always activated by default when you install your computer. The most popular browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera. Check that you’re using a recent version - you can usually download the latest version from these browsers’ websites.
• Only ever use a protected computer. Make sure your computer has up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall installed. Visit www.getsafeonline.org.ukfor more information.

Your chances of becoming a victim of online banking fraud are very low and banks are committed to keeping it this way. As bank systems have proven difficult to attack, criminals have turned their attention to getting the information direct from online banking customers themselves. Most commonly, criminals use Phishing - whereby they send out e-mails at random that seem to come from a genuine online bank or business. This is an attempt to persuade you to disclose your personal security information, typically at a bogus website operated by fraudsters.

Tips to protect yourself include:

• Know who you are dealing with – always access Internet banking sites by typing the bank’s address into your web browser. Never go to a website from a link in an e-mail and then enter personal details. If in doubt, contact the bank or building society using an advertised telephone number.
• Keep passwords and PINs safe – always be wary of unsolicited e-mails or calls asking you to disclose any personal details or card numbers. Keep this information secret. Be wary of disclosing any personal information to someone you do not know. Your bank, building society or the police would never contact you to ask you to disclose your PIN or any of your password information.
• Keep hold of your cash – do not be conned by convincing e-mails offering you the chance to make some easy money. If it looks too good to be true it probably is. Be especially wary of unsolicited e-mails from outside the UK – it will be much harder to prove the sender is who they say they are.
• Check your bank’s website – if in doubt it is a good place to get help and guidance on how to stay safe online. Check regularly for specific information and guidance on protecting your PC and yourself online.

Shopping online

More than seven out of ten Internet users have purchased something online. It is a safe and convenient way to carry out your shopping as the incidence of computer hackers stealing and using cardholder data from websites or during an online transaction is very low. The majority of Internet card fraud involves a criminal obtaining genuine card details in the real world that are then used to shop online.

Tips to protect yourself include:

• Use sites you can trust – only buy from websites you know or that have been recommended to you.
• Know who you are dealing with – get the sellers’ phone number (not a mobile) and postal address (not a post office box number).
• Shop only on secure sites – before submitting your card details ensure that the locked padlock or unbroken key symbol is showing in the bottom right of your browser window. The beginning of the online retailer’s Internet address will change from “http” to “https” when a purchase is made using a secure connection.
• Keep your PIN safe – never disclose your PIN to anyone and never send it over the Internet.
• Keep copies of your orders – print out your order and make copies of the retailer’s terms and conditions, returns policy and delivery conditions. There may be additional charges such as local taxes and postage, particularly if you are purchasing from abroad. When buying from overseas remember that it may be difficult to seek redress if problems arise, but having all the relevant information will help your bank or building society take up the case if you have any problems.
• Know the terms and conditions – be aware of any payment commitments you are entering into, including instructions for a single payment or a series of payments.
• Check your bank statements - raise any discrepancies with the retailer concerned in the first instance. If you find a transaction that you did not make, contact your bank or building society immediately.
• Shred your bank and card statements – when disposing of statements and any other receipts and financial information you should shred or burn them to prevent bin-raiders from getting hold of the information.
• Protect your card – never leave your card or your card details lying around, never let anyone else use your card, and NEVER let anyone take a copy of the back of your card (scheme rules prohibit retailers from doing this so if you are asked just say “no”).
• Sign up to Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode - whenever you are given the option whilst shopping online sign up to Verified by Visa (www.visaeurope.com/verified) or to MasterCard SecureCode (www.mastercard.co.uk/securecode). Increasingly, when you go online you will be given the option of signing up to these schemes, which involve you using a password. By signing up you will prevent fraudsters from using your card details on participating sites as they will not know your password.

Keeping your computer safe

Central to your ability to stay safe when using the Internet is keeping your computer safe.

• Protect your computer, including laptops, with a start-up password that is a combination of symbols, numbers and letters (lower and uppercase). Don’t use an automatic login feature that saves your username and password.
• Install anti-virus software, keep it up-to-date and run regular security scans. Install and use anti-spyware software in the same way.
• Install and learn how to use a personal firewall.
• Install the latest security updates, also known as patches.
• Disable any options on your browser that remember your username and password and so allow automatic login.
• Disable file sharing software to prevent unauthorised access to your computer and its data.

There are good, free versions of most of this software available for download from the Internet, so there is no excuse for not protecting your computer!

Other Resources

Other places that you can look to get useful information and advice about banking and shopping safely online include:

• www.banksafeonline.org.uk
• www.identitytheft.org.uk
• www.getsafeonline.org.uk
• the dti Consumer Direct service www.consumerdirect.gov.uk
• www.visaeurope.com/verified
• www.mastercard.co.uk/securecode