There's lot to learn from the experiences of these UAE residents being conned by fraud card transactions.

You are entitled to a 'free' credit card the moment you open a bank account. While using credit/debit cards make your life easy as you don't have to carry cash anymore, it might come as a shock to receive a message regarding a transaction you haven't done.

UAE residents on this Reddit thread shared their harrowed stories regarding card frauds they faced after transactions at shopping malls, petrol pumps, online stores and more.

To begin with, did you know your credit card shouldn't be used by anybody but you?

Here's why ? Nobody apart from you is authorised to use your credit card in the UAE. The law says that anybody using a credit or debit card or any electronic payment without authorisation shall be punished by imprisonment and fine of not less than Dh500,000 and not in excess of Dh2 million. So, be careful before lending your card to your family.

More details - Credit card misuse can cost you up to Dh2m of fine in UAE

Guard yourself by knowing these fraud instances in UAE:

1. Credit card frauds occur after cyber-criminals get your key details, such as card number, expiry date and the card verification value code. Without the knowledge of this Dubai reader's card was misused for transactions in London.

2. Never share your PIN number with anybody, ever. You go to a petrol pump, fill in gas and hand over your credit/debit card to the petrol pump guy for payment. Some even go ahead and hand over the PIN number to complete the transaction instead of getting out from their cars. Sounds familiar?

Surprisingly, according to this Reddit thread, a majority of people at the petrol pump hand over their details for convenience.



3. Your PIN can be recorded thermally after you have keyed it in. So, the trick is to press two other numbers to mislead the perpetrator.

4. Never leave your card out of sight as this Reditt user realised it the hard way after being conned with a transaction of Dh20,000 towards purchase of flight tickets and a hotel room.





5. Be careful about your online transactions as you might leave information on unsafe sites and be a victim of phishing.





Quick tips to avoid being a victim of card frauds:



1.Don't increase your credit card limit. Rather, lower it. The bank can confirm with you before making a payment beyond the limit.



2. Sign up for electronic alerts over cell phone or mails, even if it costs you. This way, you can be updated 24 hours a day. You could then immediately inform the bank about any untoward transaction and stop the transaction.



3. Be careful where you swipe your card as you might expose your card details.

4. Set a strong combination password. More details here.

anita@khaleejtimes.com