How To Protect Your Debit Card From Being Hacked

You can protect your debit card from being hacked in several ways, such as using your credit card for purchases instead of your debit card, securing your bank accounts with strong passwords and using secure networks for online purchases. Debit card fraud can occur through phishing attacks, data breaches, card skimming or even theft of your physical debit card. If your debit card is hacked, it can lead to your money and identity being stolen.

Continue reading to learn nine helpful tips to keep your debit card out of the wrong hands.

1. Use a credit card instead of a debit card

Relying on a credit card instead of your debit card can help protect you against fraud. The main reason for using a credit card rather than a debit card is that credit cards offer better protection. For example, if your debit card is hacked and someone makes fraudulent charges on your card, the money will come directly from your bank account. However, if your credit card is hacked, the card’s financial institution is responsible for repaying the fraudulent charges, rather than the loss coming from your finances. Some places that can be risky for you to use a debit card include gas stations, restaurants, online stores, tourist attractions, pop-up booths and sporting events. In these places, you never know who might see your card information and use it to commit fraud.

2. Secure your banking accounts with strong passwords and MFA

All your online accounts should be secured with a strong password and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), but your banking accounts especially need to be protected with these strong security methods to prevent your money from being stolen. A strong password consists of at least 16 characters and a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Using a strong and unique password for your banking account makes it much more difficult for cybercriminals to hack into your account and steal your finances.

In addition to using strong passwords, you should secure your banking accounts with MFA, an extra security measure that verifies your identity before you can access your accounts. Enabling MFA on your accounts ensures that even if a cybercriminal knows your username and password, they cannot access your accounts without additional proof of identity. Some examples of MFA include a PIN, an answer to a security question, a code from an authenticator app, a passkey, your fingerprint or facial recognition. Setting up MFA on your online banking accounts will give you peace of mind, knowing that no one can access your sensitive financial information without your unique method of verifying your identity.

3. Only use secure bank ATMs

When you use an ATM to get cash, make sure to use one at a bank because they are more frequently monitored by security cameras. Outdoor bank ATMs are less safe because ATMs that aren’t monitored or associated with a bank are more likely to contain credit card skimmers, which are devices attached to card readers to steal your card information. You can spot a credit card skimmer by looking for tampered security seals on ATMs, testing how loose the card reader is or even looking inside the card reader itself. If you use your debit card on an unsecured ATM, you risk having your card information skimmed and used for debit card fraud. By only using secure bank ATMs rather than suspicious outdoor ATMs, you minimize the chances of becoming a victim of debit card fraud and protect your privacy.

4. Consider using contactless payment

Contactless payment is a convenient way to avoid credit card skimming and reduce your chances of becoming a victim of debit card fraud. By not needing to insert your debit card into a card reader, you eliminate the possibility of getting skimmed when using tap-to-pay options like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay. When you tap your card to complete a payment, you can keep your physical debit card in a safe location, such as your wallet, reducing the chances of it being stolen or hacked. Storing your debit card in your digital wallet allows you to easily make purchases online or in person without worrying about losing your debit card or having your financial information stolen.

5. Use secure networks for online purchases

Never make online purchases in public places or while using unsecured WiFi networks. For example, if you make a large purchase while connected to unsafe public WiFi, you risk someone hacking the network and being able to see all your card information. If you need to use public WiFi to make a financial transaction, be sure to use a personal Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your online privacy by encrypting your internet connection. Using a VPN makes connecting to public WiFi much safer because cybercriminals cannot collect your data or intercept any of your online activity.

6. Look out for phishing scams

If you aren’t careful, phishing scams can result in your debit card being hacked because phishing messages often contain malicious links. The goal of including these links in phishing scams is to trick you into clicking them; once you do, you may either be guided to enter personal information or unknowingly have malware installed on your device. You may receive an unsolicited email from someone claiming to work for the company you bank with, asking you to click a link and log in to your bank account to prevent deactivation. If you fall for this scam and enter your bank account login credentials, the scammer will then have access to your bank account and could steal your money. Always check that a link is safe before clicking on it by hovering your mouse over the URL to see if it matches the company it’s supposed to be from or copy and paste the link into a URL checker like Google Transparency Report.

7. Regularly check your bank account statements

By frequently checking your bank account statements, you can quickly notice any unusual activity or suspicious charges on your debit card. The sooner you can catch fraudulent activity on your debit card, the faster you can report it to your financial institution, which increases your chances of recovering any lost funds. Once they are aware of unapproved transactions, they can assist you in getting your money back, but only within a limited number of days from when the fraudulent charges were made.

8. Enable notifications from your bank account

Receiving notifications from your banking accounts when suspicious activity occurs will help protect your debit card from being hacked. Enabling notifications on your banking accounts gives you real-time awareness of any unauthorized activity or fraudulent charges, so you can act quickly and report the fraud to your bank immediately. Many popular banks offer notifications for suspicious activity, foreign transactions, declined payments and low balances, which could indicate that someone has hacked into your debit card account. You can choose to receive these alerts by email, text and/or push notifications.

9. Keep most of your money in your savings

The majority of your money should go into your savings account, as keeping a low balance on your debit card will stop hackers from making large purchases. Since a hacker would not want to withdraw money for a large purchase to avoid detection, it is best to keep a low balance on your checking account in case your debit card is stolen. A lower balance also makes it easier to spot debit card fraud, as fewer charges can be made with a smaller amount of money.

Don’t fall victim to debit card fraud

The idea of getting your debit card hacked and potentially losing a significant amount of money is scary and stressful. Luckily, by following these tips, you can protect your debit card from getting hacked and your money from falling into the wrong hands. Keep your identity and finances safe by using a credit card instead of a debit card, withdrawing money from secure ATMs and securing your bank accounts with strong passwords. A great way to create and store your passwords is by using Keeper Password Manager, which features a built-in password generator and a secure, encrypted vault. You can also securely store your payment card information in Keeper for safe, easy access from anywhere.

Start your free 30-day trial of Keeper Password Manager today to store your debit card information and update your bank account login credentials to be strong and unique.