42% of South Africans admit that their personal identification numbers (PINs) are not kept secret and that they share their PINs.

This is according to research conducted independent research company, Columinate. The company was commissioned to research fraud awareness and card fraud trends in South Africa.

The research was presented at the 10th annual FNB and Visa Card Security Week (CSW) on Tuesday.  

A statement from FNB notes that South Africans are most likely to share their PINs with their spouses (85% to be exact).

Athaly Khan, head of fraud at FNB Credit Card said in the statement the numbers are higher than in 2013 when only 38% shared their PINs.

“We found that while the overall awareness of card fraud is very high, 42% of South Africans still admit that their PINs are not kept secret and that they share their PINs," said Khan.

The research further highlights that overall there was a 15% reduction in credit card fraud.

Compared to 2013, significantly more consumers are using their hands as a shield while keying in their PINs at an ATM (67%, up from 59%), yet 20% admit that they use the same PIN for numerous cards, says FNB in the statement

PIN security, online scams and cloning of cards are the biggest threats to card security in 2014, reads the statement.

The research also notes that three of the most common forms of credit card fraud are a card number being used fraudulently, counterfeit card fraud and stolen card fraud.

Khan added, “Higher income earning consumers, earning over R350,000 per annum, show the most careless card behaviour. Our past communication drives have shown improved consumer vigilance amongst middle and lower income customers.”