How to take care of the security of your payment card and payments

To avoid potential fraud, payment cards and authorization data should always be kept in a safe place and inaccessible to third parties.

In addition to physical card theft, there are different methods that criminals use to get their hands on data necessary to carry out card fraud. This may include card skimming at ATMs and phishing, and then using this data to create fake cards or use it for card-not-present fraud (fraud carried out through online transactions, telephone or mail, without having to present the physical card itself).
 
Fraudsters then use this information to obtain funds from the victims’ accounts or buy goods in their name. Very often the data is stolen in one country and used elsewhere, which makes it harder to trace. People are often unaware that their card data has been stolen until it is too late.
 
How to keep your data safe:

• Keep your card out of reach of other people.
• Never give your card to anyone else (including officials, family members and bank employees or during payment in restaurant even if you are asked by waiter).
• Never disclose the PIN code to other persons, including bank employees. The bank never calls or asks for a PIN code or other sensitive personal data.
• Do not forget your card at an ATM or a payment terminal.
• Always make sure that the payment point is reliable and secure.
• Enable receiving SMS notifications about outgoing payments from the account. Never open links in a text message unless you are absolutely sure who the message is from and why.
• Carefully read the messages you receive from the bank and make sure for what purpose the received information is intended, for example, you received a security code for adding a card to a digital wallet.
• Never press on SMS links sent to you then you are not 100% sure where this SMS is coming from.
• Regularly check your bank balance, completed transactions and reservations in the Internet bank or using the mobile app. The sooner suspicious transactions are detected, the easier it is to prevent further misuse of the card. 

If the card is lost or its data has been stolen

• If your bank card is lost or you notice suspicious transactions, call Luminor customer support at +371 67 17 1880 or block your card immediately using the Internet bank or mobile app.
• However, blocking the card in the Internet bank will not affect transactions with digital wallets - it is possible to block them by contacting the bank on the indicated phone number.
• The bank will issue a replacement card with a new card number and PIN.

PIN - unique four-digit numerical code issued by the bank to the cardholder.

• Do not keep your PIN near your bank card.
• Do not share your PIN with anyone else.
• Memorise your PIN. If you have forgotten your PIN, you can order a reminder in the Internet bank.
• If you think that your PIN has been disclosed to third parties against your will, block your card immediately from the Internet bank, mobile app or by calling Luminor customer support.

Card number, expiration date and security code
 
Card number - a 16-digit number on the front or back of the card, on the basis of which the card issuer can identify the account related to the card.
Expiration date - printed on the front or back of the card. The card can be used until the end of the calendar month marked as the expiration date.
Security code - a three-digit additional code, also known as CVV, CVC, CSC. VISA payment cards have the security code on the back of the card.

• Do not disclose your card number, expiration date or security code to third parties unless you are sure that it is necessary (e.g. to make a purchase in a secure online store).
• If you have been asked to disclose your card details or suspect that they have been disclosed to third parties against your will, please contact Luminor customer support.

Using and protecting digital wallets
 
When the personal data has been compromised, fraud may also take place when customers are adding payment cards to a digital wallet and customer's personal data is compromised.
 
Such personal data may include card number, expiration date, CVC/CVV code, or OTP 6-digit code sent to the customer's phone number in the form of an SMS and which is valid for only 30 minutes.
 
The existence and sending of the OTP code to the client is a deliberately created security element that protects the client, their card and the funds belonging to them from unwanted digitization of the card, even if the card itself or its data are actually already in the possession of fraudsters.
 
Therefore, payment cards and authorization data should always be stored in a safe place and in a manner inaccessible to third parties.
 
In addition, for security reasons, the first or any of the subsequent actions with the digital wallet activated with the newly created tokens (the digital unique identifier of the card number linked to the specific device or merchant) must also be confirmed with the PIN code of the payment card.
 
Skimming
 
Skimming is making an illegal copy of the information on the card using fake card readers (skimmers) and keypad covers or hidden video cameras to store the PIN of the card. Using stolen data, fraudsters try to copy the victim's bank card.
 
How to protect yourself    

• Before using an ATM, make sure that no visible accessories have been added to it. As it is important for criminals to obtain a PIN, a video camera or an additional keyboard may be installed at the ATM. When entering the PIN, hide the keyboard with your other hand to hide the PIN from such a camera.
• Card data can also be copied at card payment terminals, such as in petrol stations, as well as at restaurants or convenience stores.
• You should also avoid situations where you have to hand over your credit card to a service provider for payment and the latter goes to the back of the store to perform the transaction, i.e. you do not see what is actually being done with your card. Also, before confirming the transaction, make sure the purchase amount entered in the terminal is correct.

Do not use any other magstripe readers, when you are not sure to whom the magstripe reading device belongs to.
 
Phishing
 
A scheme involving an email or a phone call made on behalf of a bank or other well-known company where the person is asked to disclose their card details and verification codes (Smart-ID and/or PIN calculator).
 
How to protect yourself    

• Do not respond to emails and phone calls and SMS asking you to reveal personal information.
• The bank never asks for bank card details, Internet bank user ID, or Smart-ID, PIN calculator, ID-card or mobile-ID codes by phone or email.
• Only purchase from trusted merchants who use the 3D Secure service. Avoid making and verifying payments over the phone.
• Check the merchant's background, including other users' reviews, before making a purchase.
• Never press on links in SMS if you are not sure that they are legitimate.
• Assess the risks involved in trading on investment platforms and trading in cryptocurrencies or gold.

Online store scams
 
Fraudsters often use fake websites and pretend to be legitimate sellers. Newer scams use social media platforms. Fraudsters open the store for a short time, selling counterfeit trademarks. After a certain number of transactions, the seller's website disappears.
 
Warning signs 

• The product is advertised at an incredibly low price or with unbelievably great features.
• The online store on the social media platform is completely new and sells products at especially low prices. Limited information on delivery of goods and other conditions.
• The website of the online store has grammatical or logical errors, the page does not function properly, some options are unavailable, etc.
• The contact details of the merchant are not specified and the e-mail address cannot be associated with the name of the store.

How to protect yourself      

• Use a separate payment card for online purchases and transfer money to it only to make a specific purchase.
• Check the merchant's background before making a purchase. Make sure the contact details of the merchant (company name, registry code, address, telephone) are available on the website. Before buying, search the web for other users' reviews of the online store and its products.
• The most secure pages are those that use 3D Secure protection. This means that in addition to entering the card data, you are required to identify yourself in an additional way (using Luminor's Internet bank). Pages protected by 3D Secure can be identified by the Verified by Visa logo.

Disputing card transactions
 
Submit an application challenging a card transaction if:

• a double fee has been charged for the card transaction;
• you have not received the ordered product or service or the received product does not correspond to your order;
• if you have cancelled the transaction but the merchant has not refunded your money;
• your account statement contains card payments or cash withdrawals not made by you;
• the ATM did not dispense cash but the amount has been deducted from your account;
• you made a cash deposit to the ATM but the amount has not been credited to your account.

To contest transactions, call the Luminor customer support +371 67 17 1880, submit a report in the Reports section of the Internet bank, fill out the application from the sample Claim for a card transaction/complaint or fill out the application on the luminor.lv website in the Application forms, Cards section, choosing the appropriate application form.