Just about everybody, when going to the airport and boarding a plane, have to go through hours and hours, lines and lines of security. It makes you wonder how terrorists could ever possibly think up new ways to get past this kind of system. Still, as you stand in an endless line waiting to board, you wonder if your credit card has this kind of security. How secure are credit cards really?
Having a card can be risky in many aspects. Many people could steal your identity, charge on your credit card thousands of dollars and getting away with it, and leaving you with payments you cannot possibly make. Still, there are some cards out there that will give you the security you need to more fully prevent this.
Sure, there's no one to say that it is not ever possible for someone to commit fraud on your credit card account, even if your credit card has the best security system there is. Still, there are a few improvements that have been made to credit card security that is making it more and more difficult for thieves to do so. Credit cards security has been upgraded dramatically within the past few years, and it hopefully will continue to grow and eventually outrun the people who pose a threat to your credit card account.
A lot of credit card fraud is committed on the Internet. Buying things online can be a risky thing, especially since you cannot at least see the person you are giving your credit card information to, much less what they may be doing with that information. However, you can be somewhat protected from such fraud.
When you order things online, some credit card companies will give the person you are buying from a sort of fake credit card number. That way, the person you are giving your information to does not really have the actual number of your credit card account. The number that they are given is temporarily matched with the real thing, so that when the credit card sees its validity, they will charge that amount to you, and then void out the copycat number. This way, if the person who retains your information decides that they want to make a little purchase of their own using your credit card, they will fail, because they do not have access to your real account.
Another way you can be protected from online credit card fraud is through your mail. Some people who do marketing on the internet have a way to deflect fraud by asking for your shipping address. If they have your shipping address as well as your billing address, that purchase you made will be sent to your home, leaving you the option of sending it back if it's not something you bought yourself and getting the money for it. It also doesn't do any good for the person who made that purchase with your information, because in order to obtain the product, they would have to pick it up directly from your home, or the shipping address that you gave.
