You may find yourself in a situation where a malicious actor gains access to information on your credit or debit card, e.g. card holder name, card number, date of validity, etc. The scammers can get access to this data in multiple ways, for example through malicious websites designed to look as genuine card payment processing websites or by tricking the card holders to take photos of both sides of their payment card through social engineering. In case you reveal your payment card information, the following steps are of key importance:

Block your payment card - As a first step, you should immediately block your payment card either by contacting the bank directly or by using your bank’s online account or mobile application.

Monitor changes on your bank account - Also, monitor your online banking account or look for notifications from the bank in case your funds are withdrawn, and immediately contact your bank’s customer service to prevent further abuses.

Do not provide bank security codes - For some online card payments the bank will send you, usually via SMS, a one-time confirmation code containing several digits. Do not provide this code to anyone, especially if they are pretending to be a bank employee.

Report the incident - If you willingly disclose your payment card information and experience a loss of funds, you have the option to report the incident to the authorities. However, if you lose money due to a security incident where your payment card information wasn't disclosed by you, contacting your bank increases the likelihood of recovering your funds. Steps on how to secure your funds may vary depending on the bank, so it is best to contact your bank’s customer service.