Credit cards can be convenient and reliable, but sometimes, you’re much better off if you just leave yours in your wallet. The following “don’ts” apply to online and offline occasions when you’re tempted to pull out that piece of plastic.
- If you don’t see the letters https as the first letters in the address bar of a website’s URL, don’t use a credit card. https is the universal protocol for secure communication over a computer network on the Internet. However, don’t blindly trust this. A scam website or scam merchant can obtain https certification, so be sure it’s the correct website before you type in your info. As an alternative, you can use PayPal if it’s presented as an option.
- If you don’t see any online reviews of a merchant, consider that a red flag. If you see a merchant with no or few reviews while shopping on a site like Amazon, it’s a caution flag. While you assume they were vetted, they could have slipped something through the process. Some other things that shouldn’t be missing from a website are social media accounts, though there are Facebook marketplace scams. Be wary if you don’t see complete, verifiable physical addresses and telephone numbers.
- Don’t put your credit card info into an email, especially if responding to an email. It could be part of a phishing campaign. We’ve written extensively on how responding to misspelled email addresses or URLs are ways to get you to provide a valid card number to a fraudulent operation. You’re actually better off giving your credit card to someone over the phone – but only if you initiated the call. A valid merchant uses a system that only retains the last four numbers of your card.
- Going offline, don’t allow a merchant to take your card out of your sight. Who knows what they’re doing with it? More restaurants are processing your credit cards at your table. It’s all the same “trust but verify” thing.
If you’re a consumer, you likely know just about everything we discussed in our “don’t do” list.
If you’re a merchant, we can help you keep your credit card system secure by providing you with hardware and software systems that comply with all regulations. We can also help you get the proper https certification you need for your website. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us for an appointment to talk about it.