Posting photos of your debit card… is a terrible idea

This really shouldn’t need to be said, but here goes: You should never, ever – under any circumstances  – post a picture of your debit or credit card anywhere online.

With hackers already using various methods to get hold of consumers’ card numbers – through phishing scams, hacking into payment systems or attacking databases full of card numbers – card fraud is already difficult to prevent.  So consumers really shouldn’t do anything that makes it even easier for attackers to gain access to valuable information.

@NeedADebitCard

This summer, one Twitter account (@NeedADebitCard) gained notoriety because it aggregated tweets in which users candidly displayed pictures of their credit cards and debit cards. The account continues to thrive, with more than 11,000 followers.  If this is occurring on Twitter, just imagine how much activity could be happening on Facebook – which has far more users.

While it’s understandable that some people may get excited when they receive their new cards, it’s essential that consumers don’t give criminals easy access to precious card data.

So, again, please: Do not do this. Ever.