Using Your Credit Card

• Never give out your account number over the phone unless you initiated the phone call.
• Memorize your PIN (personal identification number, used for ATM access) and never release it to a third party. Once you have memorized your PIN, destroy any paper that you may have written it on by shredding it. Make your PIN unique, so that no one will be able to guess it.
• Report a lost or stolen card to your financial institution immediately. If your financial institution is closed, call the emergency number for the credit card company. When you receive your card, there should be a phone number on the back of the card that indicates the member services phone number should you lose the card – write this number down in a safe place or store it in your cell phone.
• Keep track of your credit purchases and receipts and check them with your monthly statement to ensure that no fraudulent purchases were made.
• Carefully store away personal bank statements, credit card statements, and receipts so that no one is able to see your private information. If someone has information such as your account number, birth date, social security number, or your address, you can easily become a victim of identity theft (when someone uses your “identity” – credit card number or social security number – to obtain credit and make fraudulent purchases under your name).
• Shred all financial information that you would otherwise throw away, such as credit card bills and bank statements.

Using ATMs

• Be careful at free-standing ATMs, especially at night.
• Make sure the person waiting behind you cannot see your PIN. Shield the keypad with your body.
• If the ATM is in an access-controlled area, do not allow someone in who would not ordinarily have access.
• Compare and reconcile your ATM receipts with your monthly bank statements.
• If you lose your Visa Check Card or your ATM card, contact your financial institution or Visa immediately.
• If you notice any fraudulent postings, non-postings, double-postings, or receive an amount from the ATM differing from the amount you chose, contact your financial institution immediately.

Internet Shopping

• More and more people are using their credit cards or their Visa Check Card to make payments online. However, be careful when making such purchases - only buy from reliable and reputable vendors.
• Only use secured websites
• Never send payment information via email. Expect rapid confirmation email of your order when you purchase from reliable vendors.
• Always read a merchant’s privacy policy to see how your personal information (such as your email address) will be relayed to third parties.
• Always save or print out confirmations of your online transactions for future reference. Such records are identical to the receipts that you get when shopping at a grocery store or withdrawing from ATMs.