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Imagine having a safeguard in place that no one can duplicate, that will prevent unauthorized people from making charges on your card? MasterCard has made that safeguard possible with their SecureCode technology, allowing cardholders to create a code that ensures every purchase is approved.
Online purchasing is one of the easiest ways for a person to fall victim to credit card theft. Numbers are obtained and it also is easy for someone to make purchases with a stolen card. Avoiding these are the number one concerns for both credit card companies and their cardholders. One way of avoiding this is by getting a MasterCard SecureCode.
Getting a SecureCode
A SecureCode is easy to get, as long as your institution that issues the MasterCard is enrolled in the program. You'll go online and create a Personal Greeting as well as a SecureCode, both are specifically for you.
A Personal Greeting will be a message that pops up from the site that you are making the purchase on. This is your insurance that the site you are on is actually communicating with your bank, and not a phishing site. Phishing sites won't produce the correct personal greeting and will most likely result in a compromised account. You can choose the personal greeting, so no one would be likely to duplicate it.
Next, the SecureCode is similar to a pin. Just like at your regular bank, no one is able to use your card if they don't know the pin. The SecureCode works because it is similar in nature. You won't be able to make a transaction on the internet without the SecureCode.
All of the MasterCards that you have can be enrolled with Secure Code. It is encouraged that all cards are enrolled in the program so that you have equal protection on all of them.
Should you ever forget your SecureCode, you're still safe. During the setup of the feature, you'll also select a secret question and answer. This can range from the name of your first pet to the name of the street you grew up on. Selecting a question/answer combination that is not easy to guess is important. During your checkout, should you forget your code, you'll be able to click a button and be prompted for the answer to your secret question for added security.
How Does It Work?
Many online vendors are now equipped with SecureCode in their checkout. Upon completing a transaction and entering a credit card number, it will automatically know based upon the number whether you are enrolled with SecureCode. If you have SecureCode, your personal greeting will pop up and you will be prompted to enter the SecureCode. Only once you've seen your personal greeting should you enter the code you've created.
People are getting smarter and smarter about ways to make fraudulent charges. Phishing sites and theft are just a few of the ways in which a person can get ahold of your personal information. Credit card charges, whether you have SecureCode or not are always protected by MasterCard, but going through the ordeal can take time that you don't have. Plus, personal information should always be protected to avoid identity theft as well.
Choosing a Vendor
MasterCard provides a list of all of the current vendors who offer SecureCode in their checkout process. Companies that do business online understand that protecting people's personal information is important, so the list is always growing.
Even if a vendor isn't available through the program, fraudulent charges are still protected. MasterCard cardholders still have zero liability should their account be compromised. This is just a secondary measure of protection during the checkout portion of online shopping that has given people more peace of mind when making purchases from the internet.
No one wants to have their account compromised. There's nothing worse than going online and finding charges that you didn't make. You feel like your privacy has been invaded and you now have to take time from a busy schedule to call and have the charges taken off. And if you're traveling, it could take even longer. Not to mention prevent you from making needed charges because the fraudulent ones maxed out your limit.
Final Word
A SecureCode ensures that every transaction made with your card is authorized by you. The Personal Greeting gives you a secondary way of feeling protected so that no one can create a fraudulent way of impersonating your bank. You choose the greeting and the code, and then no more wrongful charges.
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