A recent study revealed the most commonly used PINs that could expose you to financial fraud.
It’s true that remembering the PINs for all your cards is not an easy task, and many people choose to use an important date, such as their own birthday or a loved one’s, so they don’t forget it.
Most people use 4-digit PINs on their cards. This means that the chances of someone guessing your PIN are much higher in a guessing scenario compared to a 6-digit PIN, for example.
In other words, if someone steals your card, it is far more likely that the thief will guess your PIN by chance, as there are fewer numbers to try.
For the study, Nick Berry from DataGenetics analyzed data to not only calculate the most common PIN, but also create a complete list of the top ten PINs that follow patterns you should avoid to stay safe.
At number one is the PIN 1234. It’s easy to remember, that’s true, but it is also likely the first PIN a thief or hacker will try to use to access your bank account.
The study also highlighted numerical sequences as a major mistake, such as the PINs 7777, 1111, or 0000, which are also very easy to guess. Here’s the full list:
1. 1234
2. 1111
3. 0000
4. 1212
5. 7777
6. 1004
7. 2000
8. 4444
9. 2222
10. 6969
The analysis also revealed the least used PINs, which are:
1. 8557
2. 8438
3. 9539
4. 7063
5. 6827
6. 0859
7. 6793
8. 0738
9. 6835
10. 8093
Photo and video: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
