At first, the credit card seems to be a safe product and a good substitute for those who are afraid of carrying cash in their wallets. However, when the card is cloned, the user may have even more headaches to solve the problem!

So, do you want to know what to do if you also have your credit card cloned? Well, read on and we'll explain. So you can keep an eye out for suspicious activity and better protect your money!

Well, cloning the card means that there was a copy of your credit card data and that someone is using this counterfeit product at your expense! By the way, do you know how this practice came about?

First of all, you must remember that a few years ago credit cards were used through their magnetic stripe. So, you just had to slide the card into the machine to pay for your purchase.

In this way, criminals copied your card information, such as number, security code, expiration date and card name through this magnetic stripe. Thus, they created an exact copy of their card, that is, a clone of it. So, they used it to make purchases and transactions and the customer paid for it.

Although currently card chips have made it difficult to commit this crime, there are still other ways to have your card cloned. Continue reading and we will explain more about this subject.

First of all, if you still use cards that work with the magnetic stripe, know that you are running a much greater risk of having your card cloned. Therefore, try to change your plastic for a more current model to avoid further problems.

Furthermore, there is another type of fraud that is more common than you might think, the phishing. This is a crime technique that uses apparently real messages to steal the victim's personal data. Thus, criminals use SMS messages, email or other tools to try to persuade the user to click on a suspicious link.

In this way, they illicitly acquire your personal information, including bank details and passwords. That is why we must be very careful when reading electronic messages, avoiding as much as possible accessing links sent that seem suspicious.

Also, be careful when making purchases in public places with your physical card. This is because some criminals manage to photograph your card, copying data such as security code, number and expiration date. Thus being able to make online purchases later.

Finally, avoid making purchases on suspicious or unknown sites. Incidentally, trusted sites usually warn you when information is encrypted. That is, your data will be encoded to avoid cyber attacks. To stay safer, try to use virtual cards to make online purchases.

So unfortunately we only noticed the cloned card when we received the invoice. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the amount of your invoice, regularly checking the progress of purchases through internet banking.

First, when faced with suspicious purchases, immediately contact your credit card service center and request the blocking or cancellation of the card. Thus, the bank must send a new plastic with a totally different number from the cloned card.

Next, it is important to carry out a survey of all purchases made illegally with a copy of your card. Therefore, access your invoice and check all the expenses you had that month, identifying the charges that you do not recognize.

Then, request the reversal of illegal purchases from your bank and file a police report to avoid any protest on your behalf. So, wait until the new card arrives at your address and unlock it to continue using it.

Although it is a very unpleasant experience, try to remain calm, as the law is on the consumer's side in cases of card cloning. In this sense, the Consumer Defense Code will guarantee the reversal of the amounts of illicit purchases made on your card.

Therefore, be sure to contact your bank to report the crime. Also, carry out a survey of all purchases to be sure that the bank will identify all illegal purchases on your invoice.

In addition, the bank has a deadline to return the amount that was improperly spent on your cloned card. In general, it is common for the amounts to be refunded on the next invoice, you just need to be patient and wait for the deadline.

Finally, there are some risk situations that you can identify and take extra care to avoid problems like this. So, try to adopt some measures to use your credit card more safely.

First of all, avoid writing down your card password and putting it near the plastic, or anywhere easily accessible. By the way, try to use random passwords that do not refer to any familiar number, such as a birthday for example. That is, avoid passwords that are too easy!

Also, be careful when using your card in public places and make sure that no one is watching you while you type your password at the machines or ATMs.

Also, beware of attempts to phishing! Pay attention and don't click on any links that look suspicious. So, be aware of your e-mails or SMS from an unknown source.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that you should not lend your credit card to third parties, or even provide your password. This way, you avoid plastic information being copied for online purchases.

Lastly, do not shop on sites that are not encrypted. This is because the personal information that will remain in the database of that email address will be vulnerable to attacks and someone can steal your personal data, passwords and banking information.

So, do you want to know more financial education tips to learn how to make your money work? So go to our content below and find out!