With Spring Break a little more than a week away, students and faculty are preparing to travel, which is a prime time for account number theft.
Here are 10 tips from local personal bankers Christy Hoy of Chase Manhattan Bank, 2 S. Court St., Susan Robison of Peoples Bank, 1 N. Court St., and Tricia Hale of the Ohio University Credit Union, 944 E. State St., that they say will help travelers avoid account number theft.
1. Most fraud occurs online. Whether you are making travel accommodations or hotel reservations, buying luggage or a swimsuit, make sure the online company is legitimate.
2. Be observant of your surroundings. Upon hotel check-in, see if anyone is looking over your shoulder. If that person has a good memory or a camera phone, he or she can easily remember your card number and use it fraudulently.
3. Memorize your password or pin number if you haven't already. Nothing makes it easier for a thief to drain an account than having the access code on the card or on a piece of paper in a stolen wallet.
4. If you are traveling abroad, tell your bank. If banks notice overseas use and are not aware the cardholder is traveling, they could red-flag your card. This can lead to denied charges, a frozen account or the ATM keeping the card.
5. Take advantage of online services offered by your bank. Check your account activity periodically to see if charges correspond with your spending. If your bank doesn't have online features or if you don't have access to a computer, call your bank and ask an employee to check your account.
6. Keep all personal information in a safe place and never carry your Social Security card with you.
7. Watch out for scams. A popular scam involves a person calling the hotel room pretending to be an employee with a billing question, asking for an account number to straighten everything out. Do not give your number out over the phone. Go right to the front desk.
8. Save all receipts until they're written in your checkbook, then destroy them. Some receipts still print out the full card numbers.
9. Keep in mind that store or restaurant employees have access to your account number for a short period of time.
10. Use common sense. Always know where your credit card is and make sure to take your card out of the ATM after a transaction.
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Ashley Luthern
