Create Virtual Credit Cards for Safe Online Transactions
As Keyloggers, Spywares and fake sites keep growing, making online transaction gets riskier day by day. Keying in your Credit Card number on an unsecure or a fake site will expose your Credit/Debit Card number and it could be misused. Verified By Visa (VBV) and MasterCard SecureCode (MSC) helps minimize Credit/Debit Card fraud by giving you an additional layer of security with a secure key-phrase and a password. KeyScrambler add-on for Firefox protects your keystrokes from Keyloggers by scrambling your keystrokes. Payment Preprocessors like PayPal could also protect your Credit/Debit Card number from being exposed, but sadly, there is only less support for PayPal on the internet.
Coming back to our subject, instead of exposing your real Credit Card, Virtual or Prepaid cards can be used to minimize Credit Card fraud. Thanks to EntroPay, an online Payment Solution that offers you Prepaid Virtual VISA Cards. EntroPay is based in London, UK and is operated by Ixaris Systems Ltd. It is certified by UK’s Financial Services Authority. Opening an account in EntroPay is simple and free.
Visit EntroPay.com and create an account. In the second step, you will be asked to enter your Credit/Debit Card number. Your primary credit/debit card will be used to load funds to your Virtual Prepaid Card. Once you pass through the activation process (VBV and MSC), you will be able to load your Default Virtual Prepaid Card. The minimum amount that could be loaded is $20 USD and $2000 USD being the maximum. EntroPay charges a nominal fee of 4.95% of the amount transferred. Once your card is loaded, you will be provided with your Virtual Card number, a 3-digit CVV (Card Verification Value) code and the expiry date. The expiry is one year from the month of creation of the card. The card could be used on sites that accept VISA cards.
An unlimited number of cards can be created and the funds can be transferred from one card to another. The card statement can also be viewed from the Account Overview page. EntroPay also offers Prepaid Plastic MasterCards and it could be used worldwide at MasterCard enabled ATMs.
For Indians, banks like HDFC & Kotak offer one-time use Virtual VISA Cards named NetSafe and NetC@rd respectively. The cards work for only one transaction and it automatically gets destroyed. Login to your Net Banking account and use your Bank attached Debit Card to create a virtual card. You’ll be provided with a Virtual Card number and CVV code. The card can then be used to make transactions online. Be informed that these cards (NetSafe & NetC@rd) are one-time and they automatically expire and the end of the transaction. The balance amount, if any, will get transferred back to your account. Indians who do NOT have an account with these banks can use the EntroPay way of creating a virtual card.
Finally, it is always better to keep your system secure. Use KeyScrambler to encrypt your keystrokes. Use these free applications to keep your system secure. Perform an update regularly.