How to Store Credit Card Data
Storing your credit card data is one way to avoid identity and financial theft. Being aware of your surroundings and being cautious will reduce many possibilities for a person to steal your information. Many times, people trade convenience for security. It may be easy and quick to have your credit card data on your computer that can be cut and pasted when needed, but the easier it is for you to get the data, the easier it is for someone else to get it as well.
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Things You'll Need
- credit card information including number, name on card, experation date, PIN
Instructions
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Know where your cards are at all times. There should be one place cards are kept when not being used. Most Americans have several credit cards. It is best to take one with you that you will be using and leave the others in a secure place. Things you take with you can be lost or stolen easier than if someone breaks into your house and finds where you keep your cards.
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Create a PIN that you can remember and don't need to write anywhere. Getting cash from a credit card at an ATM is not possible without the thief having both the card and the PIN. Do not use obvious numbers such as your birthdate, address, phone or social security number for the PIN. A thief who has taken your wallet or purse may have access to all this data and will try these numbers to get cash.
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Do not store your data on your computer. Viruses and malware can infect your computer at anytime and gain access to anything in the hard drive, desktop or anywhere in the computer. Peer to Peer data sharing programs (P2P) such as Limewire may allow people access to files on your computer. If you must use such programs, be sure you use the correct security settings. Do not run the program all the time. Turn it on, get the information you need, and turn it off.
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Erase your search history and cookies every few days. Some computer protection programs do this for you. If you visit your bank site or use credit cards to shop online, it is possible for a virus to infect your computer, get into your history and perhaps steal data.
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Put the cards you don't often use in a bank safe deposit box or a personal safe at home. If you are storing your credit cards at home, think of an unusual place to put them that will not be disturbed by children or pets. Places such as file cabinets and desk drawers are generally the first places a thief will look. Take care to give thought to where you store the cards. Cards placed in a nondescript box in the kitchen may be lost should the box get accidentally thrown out.
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