Stolen, misused or lost cards: there’s almost nothing more annoying. With these five security tips, you minimize the risk of something happening to your debit card, prepaid card or credit card. And in case something does happen, we’ll show you in a video how you can act quickly.
Keep an overview of your transactions. Today’s online banking instruments, such as e-finance or the PostFinance App, make it easy to always keep track of your own finances. This means you can react if bank transfers are made which you did not order yourself. You should make your bank aware of any discrepancies immediately.
Make sure you are not being watched if you withdraw money from an ATM and never let yourself be distracted by someone. If you notice anything suspicious around the ATM, such as fixed mini-cameras, please contact the relevant bank immediately. You should always cover the keypad with your free hand.
Choose a PIN for your EC card or credit card which third parties cannot guess. That means avoiding easily guessable sequences of numbers, such as dates of birth or licence plate numbers. But the PIN should be reasonable easy for you to remember. You should never write the PIN down as it could be discovered and misused. But do consider writing down wrong PINs to mislead thieves. Here’s how to work a clever trick: keep three made up PINs on a scrap of paper in your wallet. In case of theft the thief may well think that you have written down your PIN. It’s fairly likely they will try out the PINs and your card will be blocked the third time your PIN is entered.
Geoblocking can be used to enable use of your card in Switzerland only and not abroad, for example. This offers effective protection against skimming, or theft of your card details. If you are a victim of skimming, fraudsters will often send your card details abroad, where your account is then raided. In e-finance, you can activate geoblocking quite easily and – if you do go abroad – deactivate it again. Speaking of travelling abroad: You can find tips and tricks on how to use your credit card whilst travelling in our article, “How does a credit card benefit me on my travels? Tips for stress-free travel abroad”.
Some people hope when they lose their EC card or credit card that they will find it again. That means they run the risk that fraudsters may use the card. So it’s very important to block cards in the event of loss or theft. The “Manage cards” function in e-finance and the PostFinance App enables you to manage PostFinance debit cards and credit cards easily and securely at any time, quickly block them in an emergency and order new cards or replace cards. You can also block and re-activate the card for free in the app or via e-finance. In the following video, we show you how it’s done.
If you hold a PostFinance credit card, SwatchPAY! could also be an attractive option for you. With PostFinance SwatchPAY! you always have your credit card with you and keep it safe on your wrist.
