Xmas: Look out for card scams

Johannesburg - The public should be on the look-out for card skimming as well as other forms of fraudulent activities this Christmas.

In a statement on Monday, Absa Bank said card skimming syndicates were now using different methods to skim cards.

"The current economic conditions have hit our customers quite hard," Allen Mahadeo, General Manager: Absa Group Self Service Channel said.

"Therefore it makes perfect sense that our customers heighten their vigilance against any form of fraud which seeks to rob them of their hard-earned cash."

He said Absa had tried to curb this by implementing new anti-skimming technology on its ATMs called "Jitters".

Jitters caused a vibration to the ATM card reader which sent a disrupted signal to any illegal skimming device, Mahadeo said.

This prohibited the copying of the track data from banking cards, making card skimming impossible.

Jan Kruger, Absa Card's Head of Forensics advised the public to cancel cards immediately if they had been lost or stolen.

Turning to online shopping with a credit card, he said consumers should ensure that the website was secure.

"Don't utilise internet cafes for transaction purposes," he added.

He said card statements should be scrutinised in order to query "any mysterious transactions."

Kruger advised that cards be signed as soon as they were received.

After a transaction, he said shoppers should make sure that they had received their own cards, "and make sure that the merchantdoesn't charge you twice."

Kruger added that to destroy a card, it should be cut vertically through the account number.

"Advise your bank in writing of this fact," he said.

He also advised the public not to give out credit card information over the telephone.

- Sapa