Every year the Moose Jaw Police Service investigates numerous debit card frauds. Unfortunately, most of these crimes could have been prevented with the cardholder using some crime prevention measures.

Follow these guidelines to ensure your accounts and financial data remains safe and secure:

1. Never give out your Personal Identification Number.
   Never share your PIN with anyone including law enforcement, friends, and financial institutions. If you suspect your personal Identification number is known by somebody else immediately change the number and contact your financial institution.
2. Know you PIN number and never write it down.
   If you do have to write it down, disguise it and DO NOT KEEP the number with your card.
3. Never select an obvious PIN number.
   Some crooks are intelligent and can figure out most common numbers like birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, SIN number, name or other common identifiers.
4. Never lose track of your debit card when doing a transaction.
   Maintain eye contact with your card if anyone else has to swipe it through a debit machine.
5. Only conduct transactions in a secure location.
6. Hide your PIN number when you enter it into the banking or debit machine.
   Don’t let others see you keypunch it in.
7. Make sure you acquire both the card and the transaction record when completing your transaction.
   
8. Make sure your end-of-month financial statement is correct when you receive it.
   Report any problems to your financial institution immediately.
9. Contact your financial institution immediately if your debit card is lost, stolen or retained by an ATM banking machine.
10. Report thefts or suspicious activity.
    Report any theft or suspicious occurrence to the police and financial institution immediately.
11. Protect your ATM debit card. It’s your money.