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N.S. Vageesh

You want to shop from the comfort of your PC, but without revealing your credit/debit card number... So how about a virtual card?

Transacting deals on the Net and making purchases online is most often accompanied by a degree of unease. True, banks and companies claim their Web sites are secure. Many even produce attestations from independent certifying authorities to that effect.

Yet, whenever you part with your credit card number, you can't help fearing that someone might get hold of your card number and siphon away whatever they can. Never mind even if your entire credit limit is merely a couple of thousand rupees. Or, that you have already drawn fairly substantially on the limit. It is a wrenching experience to part with your credit card number. It is as though you are putting your wealth on the line. Call it paranoia _ but it is for real.

The credit card industry and some banks have got together to address this fear.

For those who don't want to part with their credit card number to the merchant Web site, the solution is to get a virtual card. HDFC Bank, for instance, has introduced its `NetSafe' card. It works like this. If you have an HDFC Bank debit or credit card, you get this facility free. You can generate your own virtual card _ any number of them, in fact.

What is even better, you can also set monetary limits for each card _ usually limited to the value of the item you intend to purchase. The value would of course be limited by your bank balance or your credit limit.

Best of all, the card simply lapses after use. It cannot be reused. And it cannot be used beyond 24 or 48 hours, as the case may be. This again prevents misuse, should you have the misfortune of your virtual card falling into undesirable hands.

All you need to do is register yourself at the HDFC Bank Web site. Read the terms and conditions. Remember, the virtual card is not completely foolproof. The banks warn you that the Net is always vulnerable to fraud and hacking and virus attacks. There could always be some delays in processing your request. So there are no absolute guarantees. If you decide to accept these limitations, just enter your debit/credit card details as well other details such as ID and password. Create the card you want and use it to buy at any Web site that accepts Visa cards. But this card cannot be used to withdraw cash.

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