Debit card fraud happens when a thief "skims" or swipes the information from the magnetic strip on the back of your card to create a duplicate of your card. To steal money from your account, a thief also has to capture your PIN.
Credit card fraud can happen several ways. Your card could be lost or stolen and used to purchase goods and services. A criminal could obtain your card data and use this information to manufacture a counterfeit card, or the data could be used to make telephone or internet purchases.
Report
Contact your bank or credit card companies to inform them
Contact credit bureaus and have fraud alerts placed on your credit reports: Equifax 1-800-465-7166 and TransUnion 1-877-525-3823
PIN – choose a non-obvious number, don’t write it down and do not disclose it to anyone
Automatic Banking Machine – choose a location that feels secure; if you notice anything unusual with the terminal don’t use it and report to the bank
Transactions - regularly check your bank, credit and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate
E-mail – beware of e-mail messages claiming to be from your financial institutions. Canadian financial institutions do not send e-mails to their customers asking them to provide account information.