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Fraud protection

It's good to know

When you become a Capital One customer, you receive a range of free services to help protect you against fraud and identity theft. You also benefit from our Fraud Protection Promise: to protect you from fraud, monitor your account and resolve any problems.

Card details and cash machines

Keep your card in sight

You never know when someone could try to steal your credit card information. It can even happen during genuine transactions, known as skimming, because the data on the magnetic strip of your card is taken using a skimming device.

Is anyone watching you?

Criminals target cash machines (also known as ATMs) in different ways. Skimming or 'shoulder surfing', is where they watch you enter your PIN with the intention of stealing your card afterwards. They may also set up a hidden camera to get your PIN. Hide your PIN with your hand when you enter it.

Does the ATM look real?

Another technique is the 'card trap', where the cash machine looks like it's swallowed your card, and the fraudster retrieves it later. If it gets swallowed call your card issuer straight away.

Online account servicing and passwords

Know what details to give

When you log in to any of your online accounts, don't enter any personal details if the site asks you for more information than usual. This could be an attempt at fraud, and you should alert your bank or card issuer straight away.

Variety is safer

Don't use the same username and password for all your internet accounts and services (including email accounts and social networking sites) as this makes it much easier for all your accounts to be attacked if that password becomes known.

Create a password that fraudsters are unlikely to guess or figure out

Do

  • Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols
  • Have different passwords for your different internet accounts and services (including email accounts and social networking sites)

Don't

  • Use details that are easy to guess, or publically displayed on sites such as Facebook
  • Use anything obvious, like your date of birth
  • Disclose your full passwords to anyone, especially when it's unexpected or prompted by an email or unsolicited phone call

Public internet access

You need to stay safe whenever you use your card. Remember these tips below when you're using the internet in public places, such as coffee houses, hotels and restaurant.

Keep shopping to your personal devices

When you use public networks or computers you have no way of knowing if the computer is infected with malware or whether the network is secure. It's safer to shop online from home or on your phone, with security protection installed.

Always sign out

Don't leave a browser open or logged in to an account if you leave a public computer, sign off and shut down. If you leave yourself signed in, or save your sign-in details, your account is open to the next person who uses the computer.