A thought for those using pre-paid cards
I noticed this snippet in last week's New Scientist:
"Last year a colleague of Feedback discovered, by accident, a glaring loophole in the "chip and PIN" security system for a major preloaded travel cash card. To register the card, he had to set up crime-preventing security questions. But the card helpline
is fully automated, with no humans to ask those tricky security questions. All a crook would need to learn the vital PIN for a stolen or lost card is the card number (on the card), the helpline number (also on the card) and one very basic personal detail.
They could then take all the money that had been loaded onto the card."
This was reported to the card company 4 months ago but no action seems to have been taken and the system is still as described above.
I don't know which card it is (presumably those that have it will know) but this confirms (as if it was needed) that these cards are not a good idea.
You probably need to be a subscriber (highly recommended by the way) to access it but this is the link: