Preventing your card from being stolen or misused is clearly preferable to the hassle and upset involved in dealing with your card being stolen or misused.

Below is a list of measures that you can take in order to help prevent your cards from being used fraudulently.

• Keep an eye on your card when using it in a shop or restaurant, especially overseas. If an embossing machine has been used, ask for carbon copies and destroy them.



• Never discard transaction slips which display the card number.



• Never leave your card where the details can be copied by a fraudster.



• Check your transaction slips at the time of purchase, raising any discrepancies with the retailer.



• Never write your card PIN number down or disclose it to anyone.



• Ask the retailer to confirm the amount being debited from your card, including any delivery and booking fees, when using your card to pay for an order.



• Check your credit card statement against the transaction slips you have accumulated through the month. If the transaction was not electronic, it is possible for mistakes to be made when your card is debited, such as transposing two digits.



• If you plan on using your card to buy products and service over the Internet, consider getting a credit card that guarantees to refund you for any fraudulent use of the card that results from using your card over the Internet.
  
  
• Do not buy products and services from websites that do not use a secure serve to process credit card payments. A secured server is indicated by a small icon of a closed padlock begin displayed at the bottom of your browser.



• Never offer your card details to 'cold' telephone callers, i.e. anyone contacting you out of blue, even if they claim to be from a reputable company.