How Safe Is Your Money? 27% Of People Use The Same 20 PINs

A series of four numbers is tasked with protecting your money, and a frightening number of Americans are using the same 20 codes!

Research released from DataGenetics analyzed 3.4 million PINs and found that nearly 27% of people are using the same codes.

Personal Identification Numbers or PINs are intended to be a unique series of numbers, however, people frequently choose a series of numbers that are easy to memorize.

According to DataGenetics, the most common PIN is 1234.  Other common PINs are 0001, 0002, 1111, 2222.

DataGenetics also reported that an alarming number of PINs begin with 19, because people often choose to use their birth year or anniversary.  Avoid using full-year dates: 1972, 2003, etc.

MyBankTracker has these tips for choosing a secure PIN.

• Don’t use personal dates such as birth dates or anniversaries.
• Don’t use a repeated series of numbers such as 5555 or 5678.
• “Do select a number that is memorable enough for you to recall but difficult for others to get.” For example, the date you got your license or bought your first home.
• Do choose a longer PIN if possible, but again, avoid personal numbers.
• “Do use the cellphone friend strategy – but only if you can memorize it or have a backup record in case your mobile phone gets stolen. The cellphone friend method is when an individual records his PIN number in his mobile phone under a fictitious friend’s name plus some extra numbers,” MyBankTracker advises.
• Do change your PIN number often! You can rotate a series of three to five PINs.
• Don’t let anyone know your PIN.
• Don’t write down your PIN  and carry it in your wallet.

Follow this link to view the entire DataGenetics list of the 20 Worst PINs.