Stay safe this season and protect yourself and your cards from fraud with these safety measures and preventative tips:
Monitor your credit
Stay alert and learn about the first signs of fraud to your credit card accounts by reviewing your statements frequently and carefully. Enrolling in activity alerts is also a good idea, so if there is any unusual and/or large purchases made on your card and transactions made in remote or obscure places, you can catch it early. With a Jovia credit card, you can enroll in account alerts where you can choose how you want to receive notifications (text, push notification, or email). If fraudulent activity occurs, you can be alerted quickly and take action before it happens again.
Learn how to enroll in account alerts.
At Jovia, we also offer credit monitoring with Sontiq, to keep track of unusual activity that can impact your credit. It works with the top-three credit bureaus to consistently look for things that may indicate your personal information may have been compromised; learn more about credit monitoring here.
Strengthen your passwords
Take time out before the busy season starts to review the passwords on your accounts. Does each account have its own unique password? Are your passwords strong, using a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols and varied capitalization use? If any passwords use your personal information, such as your date of birth, your hometown, or your mother’s maiden name, change them. Easily cracked passwords like these can be used to hack into multiple accounts and can even lead to identity theft. Keep your passwords strong and change them from account to account to prevent fraud. It is also recommended to enable multi-factor authentication on accounts if it is available to you.
Shop with caution
Only shop at reputable sites and avoid clicking on pop-up ads or links in emails coming from unverified senders. To confirm a site’s security, look for the lock icon before the URL and the “s” after the “http.” Finally, make sure you use a device with updated security settings and choose a VPN (a virtual private network) if you must use public Wi-Fi.
Here's an example of a secure domain:
Be wary of “support staff” calls from your credit card issuer
Some scammers resort to vishing calls to pull off credit card fraud before the holidays. In these scams, a target will receive a phone call from someone who allegedly represents their credit card company or financial institution. The “support staff member” will tell the target there’s been an issue with their account and that it needs to be updated before the card can be used again. The caller will then ask the cardholder to share sensitive information, such as their card numbers, account details, passwords, multi-factor authentication codes, and more.
If you receive a phone call like the one described above, hang up and block the number. Reach out to your card issuer or financial institution directly to check if there is a problem with your account.
Keep your cards close
Don’t forget to take basic precautions with your credit card this season, especially if you’ll be hitting a lot of shops before the holidays. Keep your card tucked into your wallet or purse. If you use a cardholder on your phone case, keep your phone safe and make sure the card numbers are not visible to passersby. Finally, put your card away immediately after completing a purchase.
Take action if there are signs of fraud
If you have a Jovia credit card, you can use card management to turn your card off immediately if you suspect your credit card has been lost, stolen, or hacked. If your card has been stolen or hacked, immediately alert your credit card issuer and financial institution. Your old card will be canceled to prevent the scammer from making additional charges, and you’ll be issued a new one. Also, consider blocking your credit with the credit bureaus to protect and prevent identity theft.
Learn more about card management here.
Stay aware this holiday season to keep your money and information safe!