The word money no longer conjures up images of green bills and coins in one’s head. Instead, money today has become synonymous with rectangular pieces of plastic and magnetic strips.

Credit cards today seem like the ideal way out from financial constraints and many choose to believe that a credit card is on the same par as choosing a mortgage or car loan.

However, unlike car loans and mortgages, you can get cheated and duped by millions of confident tricksters out there. They will use every resource they have to their benefit in order to ensure that they get your money.

Is a credit card safer than a debit card?

There are a number of similarities between credit cards and debit cards. For one, they both do not require your pin code number while making purchases. This is where things tend to get a little twisted.

In the case of a credit card purchase, you can report the theft of your card and report that you have not swiped the card at all. In this age of the electronic media, receiving a message on your cell phone after a credit swipe is pretty much expected.

However few banks do not follow the protocol of sending the consumer a message after a debit card purchase. This means, credit cards are safer than debit cards because in the case of a stolen credit card you simply need to prove that you have not been swiping the card to make purchases.

What can happen if important account numbers get leaked?

Today, the trend of online shopping is on the rise. Etailers are electronic retailers. They usually process your transactions online with the help of your credit card number. Once you have provided your credit card number, these etailers will ship the order to you in the matter of a few days.

Depending on the location and the policy framework followed by the retailer, you could also have to pay postage, shipment or cargo charges.

So what is the problem with etailers?

The obvious problem with etailers is that there is not enough demand or buyer confidence with such schemes. This is owing to the fact that fraud and other methods of hacking websites; including spyware has increased. Using spyware and hacking a secure connection are now favorite methods for a criminal to obtain sensitive information about a consumer. A hacker can easily obtain credit history, secure credit card numbers and sensitive information.

Just by hacking into a website a fraudster can obtain delicate and specific personal comments and notes made by an individual’s credit card company.

How do you keep safe when using a credit card?

When using a credit card, experts have advised card holders to do the following - in order to assure the safety of your account:

While entering your credit card pin number, ensure that you do so in quick keystrokes that cannot be replicated by anyone standing close.

Read the messages and emails that your credit card company sends you. There is a machine called the skimmer that fraudsters use. A machine like that if used at a retail outlet will look like a regular swipe machine for payment. The sting in the tail about this machine is that it can create a prototype of your card within a matter of 15 seconds. So avoid shops which seem low on credibility and are ill reputed.

When discussing matters about an important account, use a secure phone line. Avoid using cordless phones as they are easy to tap via radio signals.

You should stay alert when shopping with credit cards. If you take the appropriate amount of care with them, they can really be a benefit in your pocket. After all, a line by a popular credit card company sums it all up perfectly; you should not leave home without it!