Ever more elaborate scams. If many French people pay without worry on the internet, others still refuse to do so, fearing the theft of their bank details on unreliable sites or during a larger hack. This is particularly the case of Claude who, by dint of seeing all the scams of which some are victims, wants even less to use his credit card online: “I do not trust and I am not the only one around me several people are in the same case”, explains the sexagenarian to Planet.
She does have a poorly funded account to pay only online, but she hardly uses it, preferring to go to the store or, when this is not possible, make a transfer to her daughter, who pays for her: “She pays for everything over the internet, it’s really a question of generation. Her data was stolen once ten years ago, otherwise she never had any problems, but I still don’t trust her.” Very anxious at the idea of having her accounts hacked, Claude does not consult them on her mobile phone and only connects to her bank’s website once in a while. To check her payments, she chooses the “old-fashioned” option as her daughter says… She keeps all her credit card receipts to check her account statement at the end of the month.
Still, there are plenty of ways to protect your bank accounts from online payment fraud. The first is double authentication, which allows a user to validate a payment on the internet, either through their application or by a code received by SMS. All banks now offer it, since it has been mandatory since May 2021. If it is an effective way to validate online purchases, it is not always sufficient and it is for this reason that your bank can offer you new options, in order to reassure you. Be careful, they are often chargeable, but are they worth it?
Some banks offer their customers the option of a bank card with a dynamic cryptogram, but this technology is still quite a minority in France. It’s very simple, the three digits on the back of your card (the CVV) change regularly and automatically (every hour, for example) and completely randomly. This means that in case of theft of your bank details, you will have nothing to fear since any use will be impossible as soon as the cryptogram changes. Attention, if this option allows you to be a little more serene, it does not prevent you from opposing in the event of physical or virtual theft.
Does this option appeal to you? Attention, it is paying, up to ten euros per year depending on the banking establishments. Keep in mind that you will also have to change your card more often, because the dynamic cryptogram works with a battery.
A means of payment dedicated solely to your online purchases? This is what the virtual bank card promises, the operation of which is very simple: the bank generates a card debiting your current account and for which you choose the maximum amount and the period of validity yourself. Thus, if the card is hacked, it is not your main means of payment and you can therefore limit the breakage, especially if its lifespan is very short.
To obtain it, all you have to do is ask your bank for one, even if not all establishments offer it yet. Be careful, many banks charge for this option, between 10 and 12 euros per year. So you really have to use it before taking the plunge…
An option straight from the future. Some French people can now have a biometric bank card in their wallet, which allows contactless payment with a fingerprint. BNP Paribas is the only bank to currently offer this option, which allows its customers to pay contactless beyond the maximum amount of 50 euros. “Place your finger on the fingerprint reader of your biometric card, approach your card to the payment terminal and it’s over,” explains the establishment on its website. The service is billed 24 euros per year to BNP Paribas customers, in addition to the usual rates for their bank card.
