Summary and Popularity of Site
Cardwatch is a government aided website which gives advice from the Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS) which is the UK banking industry’s body. It works with police, retailers and cardholders to fight credit card fraud. It is ranked outside the top one million most viewed sites in the world and is also outside the top 100,000 most visited sites in the UK*.
Site Design
The homepage has little but a welcome message which states that the purpose of the site is to raise awareness of plastic card fraud in the UK. At the top of the page you have links to the police, media, cardholders and retailers. On the left you have a series of choices including the option to learn more via interactive training. There is also general information about the site’s history and overview.
Content
In order to view the interactive training information, you have to register your details with the site. The overview of card fraud simply informs you about the different kinds of fraud as well as the cost. For cardholders, you have general information such as how to choose a PIN number, tips on avoiding identity fraud and how to report fraud. The police section simply explains how the police force need the public’s help to defeat fraudsters. The retailers section is more or less designed the same way as the public section with tips on preventing fraud from happening under their noses.
Going back to the cardholders section, the information is very easy to find and is laid out in a helpful manner. The tips on foiling the fraudsters are written in bullet point form which is always easier to remember. Most of the information is common sense like never having your passwords or PIN’s written down and always ensuring that your computer has up to date firewalls and security measures.
Positives and Summary
Like all sites of its kind, Cardwatch provides a valuable public service but the viewing figures for the site suggests that not enough people are willing to invest a little time to read the information. This explains the high card fraud rates in the UK. If more people took precautions, the fraudsters would have a much harder time committing the crime and getting away with it.
