People looking to get
credit cards in the near future might want to take note of the guidance which has been issued by one commentator in relation to financial fraud.
Writing in an article published by the Daily Mail, Jo Thornhill has pointed out some of the measures that people may need to think about if they regularly make use of plastic card products.
The writer noted: "Shield your PIN at the cash machine and if an ATM looks like it has been tampered with, don't use it."
However, these are not the only steps that Ms Thornhill believes could prove useful to the country's credit card holders.
In her piece, she added that those aiming to avoid fraud-related problems could also ensure that they are keeping a close eye on their cards when making payments.
PIN numbers should not ever be written down by consumers, the commentator went on to highlight.
In addition to this advice, she also pointed out the problems that could arise as a result of false emails which people receive, claiming to be from their bank.
Consumers are advised not to fall for such emails by sending details about themselves.
A variety of statistics relating to people's recent card spending habits were published by the Payments Council earlier in the month.
In this year's second quarter, the organisation revealed that credit card spending went up by a total of 3.9 per cent.
Meanwhile, a 12.4 per cent year-over-year rise in the debit card use of consumers was also recorded by the body in the same three-month period of 2010.
Discussing these trends, Sandra Quinn, director of communications at the council, commented: "Debit cards are taking over our daily purchases, while Faster Payments are fast becoming how we transfer our money electronically."
Posted by Martin Peacock.
