It is an unfortunate reality that there is a chance that you could have had your credit card leaked on the dark web. When this happens, the most important thing to focus on is ensuring that your account is protected.
In this guide, you will learn what you can do if your credit card details are leaked onto the dark web and what you can do to prevent that in the future.
How Your Credit Card Details Can Get Leaked
Some of the likely places hackers can gain access to your credit card details include:
- making financial transactions on unsecured internet access like free public Wi-Fi
- leaving your card details on a merchant site without logging out,
- making use of weak passwords for your transactions
- making purchases on untrusted websites and platforms
- And some times, some financial or government institutions get hacked, with hackers stealing people’s credit card details to sell on the dark web.
What Do You Do?
If your credit card details end up online, what you need to do is immediately freeze your credit card account with your provider.
Don’t think about this twice. You might be running the risk of losing all your savings and finances if you don’t act swiftly.
The operators in that world are as ruthless as they come. It wouldn’t take them a long time before they do irreparable damages to your account if you were to dither.
How to Prevent Your Credit Card Details from Ending Up on Carding Sites
There are several basic steps you can take to reduce the change of your credit card details ending up on so-called “carding sites” on the dark web.
Check Your Credit Card Bills
Check your credit card bills regularly. Even after you might have changed your details and got a grip on your account again. The reason is, once hackers have a record of an account, it is possible for them to take further advantage.
That is why you need to always keep an eye on your credit card bills. You should be able to notice any unauthorized or irregular payments. The earlier you discover, the better the chances of rescuing your account.
Avoid Public Wi-Fi Networks
Using public Wi-Fi may be one of the first reasons why your credit card details are on the dark web in the first place. One of the first measures to take is getting secured internet to use for communication rather than public Wi-Fi.
Make Use of the Two-Factor Authentication
One of the best security measures you can give your account is to set up the two-factor authentication. It always comes with a password that is different from what is on your account and it would always be required by any merchant or financial institution before a transaction involving your account can be approved. If you have this in place, it could go a long way to protect your account even when your card details find its way unto the dark web.
It’s a scary experience to have your credit card details leaked to the dark web. But if it ever happens, you should know it is not the end of the world.
You freeze your card as quickly as possible and talk to your credit card provider to receive a new card. Additionally, you should take steps to reduce the likelihood of it happening again.