ATM users must be vigilant in the face of an increase in card skimming, the SA Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) said on Tuesday.
“The banks are increasingly receiving reports of clients who have lost money from their accounts under circumstances that indicate that their card information could have been compromised through skimming,” CEO Kalyani Pillay said.
Card skimming involves the theft of a person’s card information stored on the magnetic strip of the card. Criminals then use this information to make counterfeit cards which, once the person’s PIN is obtained, can be used for transactions. A person’s card information is obtained mostly by criminals using handheld skimming devices at ATMs.
“It usually happens when a bank customer’s card is swapped by criminals, skimmed and returned without the customer realising it. In such instances, unsuspecting bank customers’ cards are skimmed by criminals who offer them assistance with their ATM transactions,” Pillay said.
One way of obtaining a person’s PIN is through ATM mounted devices such as miniature cameras which they attach to ATMs to record a PIN as a person keys it in. Pillay urged ATM users to shield the keypad when entering their PIN.
“Customers should never permit any form of distraction and not seek, nor accept, assistance from anyone with their ATM transactions so as to lower the risk of their cards being skimmed.”
He said anyone who suspected they had fallen prey to card skimming should notify their banks immediately so they could stop transactions. — Sapa
- See also: Card fraud persists, despite chip technology
- Image: Neil T
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