If your credit card code is on this list, it’s best to change it

Your bank card secret code is the open door to your money: you need to know how to protect it so that you are not exposed to any risks. In France, card withdrawal fraud would account for 3% of all fraud, for damages estimated at more than 37 million euros annually. Scammers are always smarter, and the Marseille collar technique, for example, has done a lot of damage.

Warnings about payment terminals, ATMs and banking contacts are not always enough. Many users modify the secret code sent to them by default… to make it simpler. And in just a few clicks, the user can change his code from a banking application or via his personal account on the Internet. A code that is too simple can be dangerous for your savings, so it should be avoided.

The list of icons is (very) easy to remember

While many countries – such as Switzerland – enforce 6-digit secret codes, this is not the case in France. Banking institutions require a 4-digit pin code to secure bank card transactions. In other words, the scammer has a chance in 10,000 of finding the right combination.

Unfortunately, the French often tend to simplify the code as much as possible and make it easier to memorize. Nick Perry, a data scientist at Meta (a Facebook group), has published a list of symbols that are easy for thieves to guess – and also the most commonly used. This is the same principle as passwords, some of which should not be used by netizens.

Here is the list of secret codes to avoid:

• 1234
• 1111
• 0000
• 1212
• 7777
• 1004
• 2000
• 4444
• 2222
• 6969

If your current bank code is on this list, we strongly advise you to change it as soon as possible. Banks also advise that you avoid the pin code associated with your date of birth. Moreover, it is best to avoid reusing this code for other services. A credit card PIN code is very sensitive: a thief can leverage it to steal your account – within your credit card’s payment/withdrawal limit.

In the same study, Nick Berry also compiled a list of secret codes that should be preferred – because they will be used very little. However, the list below, now that it’s official, may motivate hackers to try these groups to gain access to your bank account. The best way to secure your card code is to burn it into your head, without a handwritten trace.