APCA launched a new website on 31 March 2010 to increase consumer awareness about the importance of PIN protection. The 'Protect Your PIN' program is one of the industry's immediate initiatives to counter payments card fraud.
The new website – www.apca.com.au/protectyourpin – explains how consumers can protect themselves from most skimming attacks by taking simple steps like never divulging their PIN to anyone and always covering their hand while entering the PIN.
Unlike other countries where card skimming has been prevalent for many years, Australians tend to feel uncomfortable about covering the keypad especially when someone like a shop assistant is looking. The purpose of the website is to let cardholders know that this practice is vital to card security and should be the norm, not the exception.
APCA has also developed a 'Protect Your PIN' brochure which can be downloaded from the new website. The brochure is available to financial institutions for distribution to their customers.