Moneywise24 Personal Finance

As I was watching the news this morning, I saw a report about a large number of credit cards, of which the data had been stolen in spain, and how this impacted many cardholer, who had made purchases in Spain. Being a specialist within the industry myself, I could not resist to write an further article on credit card data theft, and how you can deal with it as a credit card holder. This article is based on Visa and MasterCard issued credit cards only.

Each credit card transaction follows a strict procedure and a number of steps. As soon as a cardholder walks into a store, hotel, or car rental company, and wants to purchase an item or service, the credit card is usually swiped at the credit card terminal. The data on the credit card is read by the terminal, and then sent to the company’s bank, the so-called acquiring bank. The acquiring bank will receive the data, and the request for the transaction, and it will check with the issuing bank (the bank that issued the credit card, or the cardholder’s bank) whether there is enough credit availabe on that card, and whether the transaction is allowed. If the result is positive, the issuer will give the green light to the acquiring bank, which is passed on to the terminal in order to complete the transaction. Various methods exist today for completing a transaction, from the classic signature-based transactions to the more secure PIN & Chip.

In this particular case, fraudsters had stolen the credit card data directly from the acquiring bank, so there is nothing the cardholder could have done in order to prevent this from happening. Some credit card issuers have already started to block impacted cards. Nevertheless, there are a few things I believe each and every cardholder should be aware of in similair events.

Block your card immediately

If you are in Spain, or were in Spain recently, you may want to check with your issuing bank whether or not your credit card may have been impacted. If so, you should block your card immediately. Issuing banks are usually able to send replacement cards worldwide. Each issuer has a 24/7 hotline for such events, and you should call a service representative  in order to discuss with them the further proceedings.

Do not panic

I know it might sound weird, but many people do panic if they suspect credit card fraud, or if fraud had already occured; many people already start imagining losing thousands of Dollars at their own expense, even before anything has really happened. The first fact, however, is that once a credit card is blocked, the cardholder usually has no liability as to any losses occuring after having blocked the card. Secondly, if fraud occurs before the card has been blocked, the maximum liability to the cardholder is usually limited to a specific amount. Should this not be applicable in your case, perhaps you may want to think of changing your credit card issuer.

Transaction are regulated

What many people forget, is that the entire transaction process is regulated up to the smallest detail. These regulations describe the obligations and the rights of each party involved in the credit card transaction, from the cardholder to the merchant, from the issuer to the acquirer, and/or any other involved third party. If a fraudulent transaction occurs, regulations allow cardholders and issuers to initiate a dispute. A dispute is much like an investigation, in which the correctness of the entire transaction process is investigated. Should a party not have lived to its obligations, he may be required to stand in for the fraudulent transaction amount. In many cases, errors in the transaction process occur at the side of the merchant, which let fraudulent transactions go through. In this case, merchant will often be liable and need to stand in for the amount.

Tipps for merchants

If you are a merchant yourself, there are a number of things you can do in order to limit the number of fraudulent transactions:

1. Always use a POS terminal if available, and swipe the card. If not available, make a real imprint of the card using an imprint device, not just a copy. Copies will often not be valid as proof in a dispute case, that the credit card was physically present.
2. If a terminal is not available, always call your acquirer to verify the limit of the cardholder.
3. Ask the cardholder for an ID, and check the details with that on the credit card. Are the name and date of birth identical? Has the card not yet expired? Does the name on the credit card correspond with the gender of the cardholder?
4. Compare the cardnumber on the receipt with the imprinted cardnumber on the credit card. Are they identical?
5. Verify the signature on the back of the credit card with the cardholder’s signature on the receipt. Are they identical?

In order to get in-depth advice, you should definitely contact your issuing or acquring bank. They are able to tell you more about their fees, things to watch out for, and how they deal with credit card fraud; this might differ from bank to bank.

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Being in debt has become quite normal in today’s world: people buy real estate and take a mortgage, a loan is taken in order to buy a car, a television or the newest Playstation is quickly bought with the credit card, and this month’s phone bill seemed to bit slightly higher than usual. Actually, debt does not have to be all that bad… if it planned and under control.

And this is where problems arise. Often, debt is not under control. It seems to increase, a second credit card is being applied for, and it seems like a never ending story, until at a certain point the debtors want their money back, and then…

uh-oh.

The worst that can happen is when the complete existence of a person is about to collapse completely; real estate is confiscated by the bank, credit cards are being blocked, in many countries debtors have a certain right to claim a part of the net salary of the individual directly from the employer, and the story goes on. The worst that can happen is to file for a personal bankruptcy. However, if you have not yet reached that stage, perhaps there is still something that can be done.

A few simple things might help to reduce debt. Reducing debt is never fun, but it is the price to pay.

Track your income and expenses

The very first thing you need to do is to track your income and expenses by the cent; it will make your cash-flow visible, and it will allow you to plan and make a budget. Assuming that you have money to spend, the easiest way to keep book is by using Excel, or another spreadsheet program. For each transaction, you will need to need to make an entry in your ledger, so that by the end of the week or month you can it all up. You can then compare the totals of your expenses with your income, and also with the budget you created.

Save where ever you can

Rigorous expense reduction is the next step. Here, you need to know the exact difference between needs and wants, and it is absolutely essential that you concentrate on what you really need for a living, and how you can make substituations in order to live more cheaply. For example, you may want to investigate how Skype could help you as an alternative to stay in touch with friends, you may want to use public transportation more often, or you may need to give up your daily visit to Starbucks.

Hire a debt consultant

In many countries, there are debt consultant who are either subsidized or fully paid by the government. Find out if this is the case, and hire someone who can help to get you out of debt. Firstly, this person will give you a very precise picture of your current situation. But more importantly, he is also an independent consultant, who is able to engage in negotiations with debtors if applicable. By hiring a debt consultant, debtors will see that you are willing to do everything to reduce and pay off your debt, and thus they are more likely to engage into an agreement.

Do not create new debt

Don’t overdraw your bank account, don’t take any new loans, and destroy your credit cards. The last thing you need is a new loan of any kind.

Assess your income

If being unemployed or having a very low income is one of the reasons for being in debt, you may want to assess your current position; what do you have to do in order to get a job, or a better paid job? Do you need education? More experience? Or perhaps there are already some opportunities for the taking. Pursue your career if you can. Browste the job postings, and build on your network.

Reducing debt is not an easy task, especially in a world where money seems to play such an important role, and where companies want to motivate us to spend more of it via sophisticated marketing strategies. However, being debt free is something to look forward to, and in the end: there are any more important things than money alone.

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I have been working in the credit card industry for some years now, and one topic which is keeping fraud departments busy is skimming. Skimming is a practice, during which the card details on the magstripe (magnetic stripe on the back of the card) is being copied, and then written onto another card.  Since the magstripe data is electronic, it could travel to the other side of the world before it written onto another card. Often, the cards used as a ‘host’ for the stolen data are stolen cards which have been blocked by its cardholders, making the original data on that card unusable.

Special devices are used in order to skim the card. Such devices might be present at a point of sale (shop, restaurant, petrol station, etc.), or they might be fixed onto the slot of an ATM machine, being hardly noticable. In the case of ATM machines, there is usually a small, hidden camera somewhere in the area, aiming at also the recording the PIN number of the cardholder. This makes it so vitally important to always cover up the key pad when entering the PIN.

In a shop, restaurant, or any other point of sale, skimming devices are usually placed out of sight for the cardholder. In a restaurant, the waiter will usually take the credit card away from the cardholder while the cardholder remains seated at his table, the waiter later returns with the credit card and bill to be signed. What the cardholder does not know is whether or not the card has been skimmed. In a shop or at a counter, the clerk may pull the card through the POS machine (the card reader, which makes credit card transaction possible), or something which looks like a POS machine. Usually it is out of sight. Some card skimming devices can be placed on or over a real POS device of any kind, so that the card is skimmed while making the transaction.

In order to avoid skimming, do not leave the credit card unattended. For example, in a restaurant you may want to join the waiter to the POS machine. Especially at ATM machines or other unattended credit card payment devices, look whether there are any signs of manipulation or small damage, you may even want to touch the slot and see if there are any loose parts.

Finally, you will know when your card has been skimmed if there are curious transactions on your credit card bill, from places where you have never been, while you still possess your credit card (i.e. you did not lose your credit card, nor was it physically stolen).

The following is intended to be a short guideline of the first necessary steps. Further steps in the process might be present, depending on the issuing bank and nature of the crime. Actually, these guidelines apply not only to skimming, but to credit card fraud in general:

• Do not panic! Contact the 24/7 hotline of your issuing bank immediately and block your card. Tell the employee what happened, so that it is documented. Blocking the card will not allow the fraudsters to conduct any further transactions, and usually you can not be held liable for any transactions occuring after you called in to block the card.
• Check your bank’s guidelines to find out whether they are requiring anything special from you. File a request for a dispute. There is usually a required timeframe to do this. For Visa and MasterCard this is usually up till 30 days after the transaction date.
• You bank will guide you through the rest of the process. You may be required to send a written statement to the bank, stating you did not make the transaction, and possibly why so.

The rest of the process will take place in the background. Usually, the issuing bank will raise a dispute in your name, and the acquiring bank (the bank of the shop or company, where the transaction has been conducted) will have to provide proof, that the transaction was valid, and that all possible measurements were taken to prevent fraud. In the case of skimming, for example, the credit card number on the customer receipt (generated from the magstrip) would deviate from the number hotprinted on the physical credit card. Besides that, the fraudsters would not know how your signature looks like, since they do not have the physical card with them. Last, merchants are always entitled, and should, ask for an identifiction. In the case of fraud, the identification would be different from the details on the card. In the event of proven fraud, the merchant will be held liable for the fraudulent transaction, and the money will be charged back, meaning it is transferred back to the issuing bank. Depending on your issuing bank, your bank might already have compensated for your losses by means of a temporary credit, or they might transfer it as soon as they receive back the funds.

However: should a “fraudulent” transaction have taken place with your PIN number, the transaction is usually identified as authentic, and you might lose the money for good. Therefore, your best option is to memorize your PIN number if you can. If you still choose to write it down somewhere, never store it somewhere together with your credit card, for example in your wallet or in your purse. Always keep the PIN separated and highly confidential.

The good news is: many initiatives are being implemented to fight credit card fraud. EMV, also known as Chip & PIN, is a chip placed on the credit card, which makes it very difficult to copy the credit card information. You will know when you have an EMV enabled card when there is a chip on it. In order for EMV to work, the merchant also needs to have EMV enabled. You will know this if you are asked to enter your PIN code for a credit card transaction rather than providing a signature.

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