Updated: Dec 22, 2021, 07:51 PM IST

If you own a bank account, you are likely to have a debit card linked to it. People use debit cards for a number of financial services. You can withdraw money from a bank account from an ATM using a debit card. The debit card can be used to pay money through POS machines at retailers or shop online on e-commerce platforms or pay bills.

While debit cards come with an authentication process for the safety of customers, hackers keep targeting cardholders with different techniques to get hold of cards and confidential information. Hence debit card users should be constantly vigilant against fraud while using them. Read below to find out ways to keep yourself protected when using a debit card.

DON’T LET YOUR CVV OR PIN BECOME VULNERABLE TO DATA THEFT

The most important confidential information for debit card usage is the PIN. Never save your PIN anywhere on your phone or any paper accessible to others. It is best to keep the pin memorized. Banks do not ask for your PIN for any service. If you are asked for your PIN by any person on call, they are likely to be impostors pretending to be bank officials. The same applies to your debit card CVV, the three-digit number on the back. CVV is used for online transfers.

KEEP MONITORING MONTHLY STATEMENTS FOR FRAUD OF WHICH YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE

Nowadays, hackers also resort to making several small, negligible transactions from several accounts rather than a big sum from a single account. This method is used to not raise alarm. As a result, frauds can go undetected for the longest time. If you find an unknown transaction in your statement, notify the bank right away. The same is also true for lost or stolen cards. Immediately notifying also ensures you in case the card is used in a financial fraud. Also, monitor messages of transactions from the bank to your registered mobile phone. If you get a message for a transaction you did not make, contact the bank asap.

ENSURE THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE TRADER, PLATFORM, AND PERSONS WHEN USING YOUR DEBIT CARD

Only use your card at trusted traders or websites. Similarly, do not trust strangers to help you when trying to withdraw money or use it for payment. Don’t let people see your PIN when entering it at an outlet. Also, do not let a trader or any other person take your debit card out of your sight for swiping or using at a POS machine.