Today, people resort to cards for protection; this is for the money to be safe and protected. If a thief tries to r*b them, they won’t be r****d because their money is kept in a card where it’s safe. If a robber steals the card, they can immediately contact their banks to turn their cards off; the thief will then not be able to use the card. However, there are a lot of scams today involving both credit and debit cards. Moreover, there are cashiers who take advantage of the situation and will try to have a glimpse at your personal information.
How can thieves steal from your debit card?
Nowadays, there are a lot of tricks that thieves use in order to have access or to gain personal financial information from people. One of which is through Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). In places where there are little to no people, they would set up fake card readers and deposit slots. In addition to these, they’ll also set up fake keypads for them to have access to whatever you will type in. With these fake readers. deposit slots, and keypads, they’ll gain access to what your PIN and account number is and use it for their own good.
Read: How To Reverse Look-Up A Random Number
This is a common notion in remote places that have ATMs. This is why it is always important to check the ATM first before doing any transaction.
- Check the card reader if it’s removable;
- Before inserting your card, type in the keypad and see if it’s natural or if it has a second layer;
- Double check the overall space where you’ll type in, insert a card, or where the money gets spat out.
But how can you be r****d if you swipe your credit or debit card through cashiers?
Recently, a new scam has alerted the people as regards cashiers in malls, coffee shops, etc. Although this has been plaguing both the U.K and the U.S for years now, they thought it was just a technical concern.
The scam
Surprisingly, it can be done through Points of Sale (POS) and by any cashier if they wish to. Cashiers can swipe your card twice and that simple act is the very scam we’re talking about today.
The first swipe is the main official swipe to ensure the billing or transaction that happened. It’s where and when the payment gets taken out.
The second swipe, however, is used in order for them to obtain billing, financial, and personal information that can be used against the owner of the card.
With everything going in the counter and the cashier, card owners won’t usually notice that their card is being swiped twice, leading to further fraud in the near future.
ABC news released a report showing a specific cashier at a store, swiping the card of a customer twice. The scam happens in a matter of seconds and it seems innocent because we are not aware of it. You can watch the footage from ABC news below:
This method has been known to have compromised millions of people’s financial data and therefore, has been an ongoing scam now. VISA, a multinational financial institution explains the meaning of this double swiping and why everyone should be aware that this practice is incorrect.
According to news and reports, credit and debit card robberies account up to $1 billion per year in the United States alone. It’s substantially an issue and there are other stores and people still doing it.
How can you be safe from these credit and debit cards scam?
One thing you can do is just pay with cash. If you’re going to use a debit card, just pay with cash instead. However, if you are to use a credit card, tell the cashier to not swipe the card two times as this is a way of compromising personal banking and financial details of an individual.
Read: What Are Ways To Check If Your Smartphone Is “Clean?”
Another thing you can do is to always keep an eye on the cashier. Even if you don’t tell them, some cashiers might not be aware of this and might do this by accident. Them swiping your card in their monitors (computers), they’re gaining personal information to secure the transaction from the Point of Sale (POS). Unknowingly, they might not be complying with rules and regulations which can compromise their reliability.
We need to always keep a good eye on how and what we pay for. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of ways in which thieves and r*****s can take advantage of the situation. Even if we don’t carry cashh with us, they’ve found another way of stealing from people through credit and debit cards. Stay safe and free from fraud, folks!
