-Avoid credit card frauds abroad

In the previous article, we have mentioned about the charges that you may have to pay while using your credit card abroad. In this article, we will highlight some steps that you should keep in mind while using your credit card abroad.

In our country we are accustomed to free card payments and cash withdrawals, while the same is not true for overseas, as it comes with extra charges.

If using cash is unavoidable, make sure you take time to get to know the currency, and never get rushed into making a purchase without thoroughly checking what you are handing over. Be particularly careful when exchanging money, and always check that you are getting a good exchange rate by shopping around. In most cases it is easier – and safer – to withdraw money from a cash machine with your UK debit card as you need it rather than carrying around cash or traveller’s cheques.

Here are some tips that you should keep in mind while using your credit card or debit card overseas:

We all know that losing your cards while you are overseas, or the credit card or debit card getting stolen, is a huge inconvenience. It is even more inconvenient when you’re on holiday. By following some simple advice you can help protect yourself against card theft when travelling abroad:

• Only take cards with you that you intend to use on holiday; leave others in a secure place at home.
• Consider letting your bank know in advance that you are going to be using your cards abroad. If your bank spots unusual spending patterns it may try to contact you to check that the transactions are genuine and it could even block your transactions. For e.g., Barclays Credit card has a special feature called “country flag”. If you are going to use your card abroad, ask them to place a country flag on your card for that country. It will authorize the use of your UK Credit card in that country.
• Make sure you have the 24-hour contact phone numbers for the cards you do take with you – in case you need to speak to your card company.
• Treat cards, cheques and traveller’s cheques as valuables, in the same way you would treat cash, and make sure that your travel insurance covers everything you take abroad, including your card.
• To avoid pickpockets it is often advisable to wear a concealed money belt to hold your cash, cards, traveller’s cheques and passport.
• Take extra care with cash machines as you may be unfamiliar with the layout or how much cash you are withdrawing.
• Always shield your PIN with your free hand when typing your PIN into a keypad in a shop, business or at a cash machine.
• Often on holiday there is a tendency to take out more cash than you would at home, so be careful to only carry with you as much as you need, and store the rest in your hotel safe (where possible).
• Guard your card and card details at all times. Safeguard your PIN. Don’t give it to anyone – even if they claim to be from the police or your bank.
• When you get home, as soon as possible check your (online) statement carefully for unfamiliar transactions.

The successful introduction of chip and PIN in the UK has meant that fraudsters are increasingly being driven overseas to commit card fraud on UK cards in countries where chip and PIN has not yet been rolled out. So make sure that you don’t reveal your PIN no. to anyone.