This holiday season, a debit card is best used by those who don't want the perils of credit card debt. However, this does not make them any less safe from debit card fraud as well. While one is all too absorbed with Christmas shopping, fraudster can take their cue and swindle people out of their own debit card funds. To protect them and their debit card accounts from fraud, here are some safety tips to follow:

In giving the debit card information, a debit card owner must make sure only the rightful person reads or hears it. It is best to write the information down on a piece of paper and when the other party has listed it down, he can retrieve the paper and keep it. Trashing it is not advisable. Once other people pick up the debit card information, they may use it for fraud.

The debit card information must also be exclusive to the owner. Even family and friends must not know of it. He must also be careful as not to share the information to his children 15 years and younger. They may not realise the importance of a debit card yet and they could carelessly share the information to others or use it themselves unguarded. Should children need to purchase something, the parents must be there to personally pay through the debit card.

Giving over the debit card information over the phone must be avoided. Scammers may overhear it by eavesdropping nearby or at the other end of the line. The best approach for this is through email or SMS. Only this way an owner can be certain of the destination or receiver of his debit card information.

An owner must also constantly keep track of his transactions. He may request it from his issuer, sign up for an online account, or track his spending himself by comparing his expenses against his available debit card fund. Once a discrepancy is detected, he must immediately report the matter to the debit card issuer. If not, his own savings account can get affected as debit cards and savings accounts are connected.

Debit card fraud is much dangerous than credit card fraud as there is no concrete law to protect consumers. There is only the issuer's policy to protect debit card owners but this too can change according to their discretion. Once the terms for debit card fraud are not met, the money lost may never be recovered. So this Christmas, utmost caution is advised for all debit card users.

Sean Teahan co-founder of Cash Doctors,Australia's preferred short term lender, shares his insights on money matters. Founded in 2005 Cash Doctors has helped thousands of Australians with their fast cash loans but that's just the short term solution. Cash Doctors also help people in the long run by providing budgeting tools, e-books and individually researched articles on money matters and financial tips. The aim is to assist people in achieving instant and long term financial freedom.