Fraudulent activity can happen to anyone, but there are steps you can take to protect yourself.
In this article, you can find some practical tips and best practices for minimising the risk of fraud when using your card online or in-store. We also listed some of the most common fraud types to help you better understand how fraudsters can get your card details.
When using a physical card
Make sure your cards are always under your control. Don’t hand over your card to a waiter or store clerk: instead, tap or insert your card yourself.
Check the amount you’re paying before you make a purchase.
When withdrawing cash, use ATMs owned by large, established banks and check if the machine has been tampered with.
Keep your physical card safe by using a wallet that blocks contactless signals.
Don’t write down your PIN or keep it next to your card. You can always use the Wise app to check your PIN.
Don’t choose a PIN that’s easily associated with you, like your date of birth
When making online payments
Use a digital card for your online payments. If any of the merchants you purchased from suffered a data breach, your physical card won’t be affected. You can block and replace digital cards within seconds.
If you don’t trust a website, it’s best not to shop from them in the first place. If you still need to, you can make a test purchase by setting up a new Wise digital card and freezing it right away. Make the payment with the frozen card, so you can see how much you’d be charged without paying any money. If the payment attempted matches (amount, currency, merchant names are what you expected), and you see no other unusual activity shortly after, you can unfreeze the card and make the payment again.
Avoid using your card for online purchases using public computers such as libraries, cybercafés, and public Wi-Fi areas as those are common places where your card details can get stolen.
Other tips to keep your money safe
Check your balances and statements regularly.
Set up notifications in the Wise app, so you can immediately see when your card was used.
If you suspect something unusual, use another method to pay.
Don’t give your card or card details to anyone including over the phone or in email.
Don’t share your PIN, password or one-time-passcode with anyone.
Common methods that fraudsters use
Phishing
Phishing is a type of online fraud where scammers try to convince you to hand over your personal details by posing as a legitimate and trusted company. Don't share your card information over the phone or in email — we will never ask for these.
Learn more about how to avoid phishing
Stealing data from merchants
Data breaches typically target information like your name, email, bank account details or card details that you provide when you use your card online. Merchants are required to notify you if a data breach happens in their systems.
Cloning your card
Fraudsters can attach a device to payment terminals or ATMs to copy your card details and PIN — this is also called Card Skimming. They often target small stores and restaurants, pay-at-the-pump gas stations and ATMs without surveillance.
Brute force attacks
Fraudsters can exploit some technical elements of the card payment system, using mathematical formulas to try a large number of card detail combinations. Our fraud engine prevents the majority of such attacks, but in some rare cases, it’s possible they lead to successful transactions.
It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that the fraudsters had your details, they simply ‘guessed’ them using sophisticated algorithms.
If you were a victim of a brute force attack, we’ll refund the money that was taken from your account and you can get a new Wise card free of charge. In most regions, we review these claims within 24 hours.