Safe Payments With Cards

Advantages of Cards

The bitter truth is that people could be divided in two groups – those who have been robbed and those who will be robbed; and you who are reading this page are undoubtedly one of them. Since thefts are old as world, we offer you ideas and information that will help to reduce the loss to minimum. A payment card, which is your electronic wallet, has a number of advantages, compared to cash:

A card makes one feel safe, you don’t need to mind your wallet and be afraid to loose it; for if cash is stolen, it will be lost for good, whereas if a card is lost, it means only a few formalities.
Even if you have lost your card you can contact your bank or First Data Latvia immediately to block the card.
Furthermore, a card takes up less space and it can be carried so that it is hard to be accessed by pickpockets.
A card gives the possibility to carry with you “all” your money. You will not experience a situation that you do not have enough money for some purchase only because you are afraid to carry it with you.

For Maximum Safety

Millions of peoples are using payment cards every day. Observing the following rules, you will reduce significantly the possibility that fraudulent actions could be performed with your bank account:

When making a purchase, never let the card out of your sight. Take the card back as soon as the transaction is completed and make sure that it is yours.
Memorize passwords and personal identification numbers (PIN), so that you would not need to write them down on paper. Pay attention to your surroundings and make sure that nobody is observing you when you enter your PIN code.
Never sign an uncompleted receipt. Cross through all the empty lines in which there is no data that are related to the subtotal of the bill.
Never speak out loudly your account number at outlets or on the phone if people around you can hear you.
If possible, use automated teller machines (ATM) only during daytime or choose a well-illuminated ATM if you have to withdraw cash at night. Inspect the screen of the ATM to detect any suspicious modifications and control that strange people are not near you when you perform the transaction.

Making Purchases on the Internet

Purchases on the Internet gives new possibilities and conveniences, as well as a few risks to prevent which special carefulness is required. We would like to give you some advice how to ensure that purchases on the Internet are secure and pleasant:

Make sure that you are dealing with a reliable company. To check the reliability of a merchant, try to find the following information:

Information on offers – find out all the possible information on the offer, including delivery time, terms and conditions of guarantee, policy of cancelling an order, additional delivery costs etc.
Information on merchant – do find out the physical address of the company and its phone number.
Data protection – reliable websites usually provide information on the protection of the data submitted by you and storing thereof.
Privacy statement – reliable websites normally publish a strictly formulated privacy statement in an easy accessible place. Acquaint yourself with this document to now precisely in what way the merchant is planning to use the information submitted by you.
Make sure that the merchant with whom you are going to conclude a deal complies with all the necessary data protection measures. To check whether the financial information submitted by you is protected during a transfer, control the status bar on your Internet browser – at the bottom of the window. An icon which looks like a lock shows that the data transferred are encrypted. The security of a web server can be also controlled by the address in the address bar– the address must start with https://, not with http://. If you cannot find any of these indications of secure data transfer, don’t submit any information on your credit card or debit card on the Internet.

Protect your personal data. Do not submit information you do not want to provide or which is not related to the purchase or payment. Never disclose your passwords, e.g. the password you use when connecting to your Internet service provider or your Internet bank.
Protect your e-mail. E-mail is not a safe means of communication. To protect your account codes and prevent possible fraudulent actions with your credit card, never send your account number or other financial information by e-mail.
Pay with a card – normally, it is the safest way of payment on the Internet. In most countries, card holders may claim repayment of the amounts paid if the description of goods or services contain incorrect information or if goods or services are not delivered. Furthermore, you will not be liable for purchases made from your account with fraudulent intentions.
Be aware of e-mail messages in which your personal data are requested, especially, if the sender of the message is a company which already has such data. Never click on the links provided in such e-mail messages.
Save records. Print out all the information on payments made on-line and keep them in a safe place, thus you will have the possibility to refer to such information afterwards.