Once you’ve ensured that you aren’t using an obvious pin number for your ATM card, one step for extra security could be to write a fake pin number on the card.
Photo by Chad McDermott (Shutterstock).
Should the card ever get stolen, the criminal will probably try to use the number written on the card to withdraw your money. The trick is to write it in such a way that it’s hard to read (difficult to parse eights and threes, for example). If you’re lucky, they’ll try three different incorrect PINs, which in most cases will lock out the card.
To be clear, if you know your card is stolen, you need to call and cancel it. But this is a nice extra layer of protection if you don’t notice the theft right away.
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17 responses to “Foil Crooks By Writing A Fake PIN On Your Card”
Personal Identification Number number..
ATM machine
VIN Number!
AT machine?
PI number?
AT-AT machine?
3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375
But if you don’t write your PIN on your card, they won’t get your money either.
Yes, but they could attempt to use it for other transactions. Whereas if they saw a PIN, they may be more likely to try to withdraw cash, trapping the card.
This makes sense in only this context..
However, with PayWave on pretty much every card now, crooks need only go to pretty much any major store and make purchases up to $100.
Now.. add a bit more street smart and you have someone who can create transactions on your account. Buy a Mars Bar with PayWave, it adds the transaction to your account. The crook has your wallet as well as your card, so they also have your ID and other stuff. Now the crook rings your bank and identifies themselves as you.. they don’t know the password but they are asked to confirm a recent transaction to prove they are you… now they get your internet banking password reset, your email and phone number changed etc.. and they just take the money anyway.
Even without the PIN, the amount of damage a smart crook could do is pretty major.
PayWave is convenient but it opens up so many more security holes.
How about using a 5 digit PIN?
You can request a 5 digit PIN? I’ve only been allowed a 4 digit PIN, the lies I have been living!
u can get up to 6 with some banks.
Oh cool.. I’ll have to ask my bank next time i’m in there.
You can update your pin at that atm…well I can for NAB.
I haven’t seen that feature at any Bank of Queensland ATM sadly 🙁
I’d be skeptical updating one at an ATM for phishing reasons lol
Mine’s 10. I tell attendants that I’m texting a friend 🙂
Can confirm that NAB and Westpac allow 6 digit pins.
Although most of their staff told me I couldn’t.
When I used their change password process I just entered a 6 digit and it accepted it.
…so Nah nah nah
You can set 6 or more digits… But if your in a country that doesn’t utilise all 6 digits the banks just drop any input after 4.
Reverse is also true and you pick a 4 digit PIN, then head somewhere that needs 6 (ie. parts of Europe) you need to add a double zero to the end of your PIN for it to work.