New Delhi: In recent times, fraud related to credit /debit cards has risen. Due to the rapid increase in theft-related crimes, it has become a necessity to routinely safeguard one’s credit and debit cards to avoid any chance of being a victim of trickery. In such cases related to stolen or lost cards, an individual top priority should be to ensure the details of their cards.

If this malpractice has happened to you or you wish to protect yourself from such activities, this article has listed out ways through which one can secure their particulars.

1. Contacting card issuer

In suspicion of any fraudulent activity on credit/debit cards, the first and foremost thing to do is to notify the card issuer. While communicating with the person, investigate whether you can lock or freeze access to your card online.

2. Replacing your login credentials

It is suggested to update the details of your card such as login, password and pin as soon as possible after the fraud has happened, to avoid additional theft.

3. keep a check on your credit card statement

After reporting the incident, log in to your online account to make sure that you have received your reimbursement for the fallacious transactions.

4. Lodging a formal complaint

Now that you have notified the bank about the loss of your card, rush to the nearest police station to file a police report. As per several banks’ websites, “the FIR provides legal proof that you have lost your credit card and assists you in obtaining another card.” The user can also register a FIR online.

5. Do not share credentials

To avoid any uncertainty, it is advised that users should be very cautious about keeping their credentials private. Changing your passwords routinely can help in maintaining the security of the cards. Even the RBI reminds everyone that banks do not require credentials.

(Written by- Mahek Nigam)