17 August 2007
Britons are being reminded about the importance of protecting their PIN from fraudsters.
Research from UK payments association APACS has revealed that 20% of cardholders admit to 'rarely' or 'never' shielding their PIN from prying eyes when withdrawing money from an ATM.
Moreover a further one in four people say they use the same PIN number for all their cards.
APACS is so concerned about this figure that it has published a consumer advice guide entitled Protect Your PIN, to give cardholders simple advice about how to keep their credit cards safe.The two-page guide gives practical advice on PIN safety including facts, statistics and tips on how to remember PINs and better protect them from fraudsters.
Despite the introduction of chip and PIN in the UK, APACS has warned that criminals can still copy cards' magnetic strip details to create clones that can be used overseas.
Sandra Quinn, director of communications at APACS, said: "Plastic cards remain a safe, secure and convenient way to pay; all that is required to minimise the chances of falling victim to card fraud is a little bit of common sense.
"Simple measures such as shielding your PIN with your free hand whenever you enter it into a keypad will significantly reduce your chances of becoming a victim of fraud.
"Although our cards are much less likely to be used fraudulently in the UK because of chip and PIN, we need to make sure that we remain vigilant and keep card details safe and secure at all time."
According to APACS figures, total card fraud losses have decreased over the past two years, while losses on the high street have fallen by 67%.
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