Consumer Tips

Debit Card

1. Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) for ATM cards, telephone calling cards, etc. should be memorized but NEVER written down and the number chosen should be one that is difficult to guess. The number should not be one that could be gleaned from documents in your wallet - pick a number that is significant in your life but not in current use.

2. With credit and ATM (debit) cards be extra careful when using them at restaurants and gas stations or any other location where you temporarily part company with your card: these are prime locations for "skimming" (making a second unauthorized electronic record of your card information). After completing a transaction in which you surrender your card for processing, make sure the card you get back is yours. With debit cards (and credit cards if you have applied for and use a PIN to facilitate cash advances) be aware of who is around you to protect your PIN as you punch it into the terminal. Shield the PIN pad if you have to if there is someone close enough to observe what you are doing. At bank machines, don't forget to retrieve your card before you finish your business there!

3. Exercise extreme care about people who you believe you can trust who have access to your personal information. Casual friends, temporary visitors or roommates who have debt or addiction problems unknown to you may be tempted to "borrow" your identification and/or credit/debit cards.

4. People who lose or have their identification stolen should (at minimum) notify the issuer of the identification and file a police report and obtain a file number. On a regular basis keep an inventory of your ID as a ready reference or make photocopies of front and back. (For example, to obtain a replacement CareCard you need to supply your 10-digit Personal Health No. If you have that number written down or photocopied it will save you some time and frustration when applying for a replacement card)