The most prominent places where you can lose the credit card information to these skimmers is when you want to give your credit card to pay your bill like hotel or food bills. The modus-operandi is, when you flash your debit or credit for your purchases, and if the shop keeper wants to steal the credit card or debit card info, he/she will just swipe your card on a small electronic device called skimmer. This device will copy all the information that is available in the magnetic strip of your card. And it is easy for the thief to make a duplicate card. Using this duplicate card now the thief is ready to make offline and online purchases – in case the thief notes the CVV no. as well.
The prominent places which have been categorized as notorious for such skimming are mostly the south-west countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Hong Kong to name a few. You will be lured by attractive tour packages, amazing deals for the shopping festivals and go for a shopping spree without knowing how much risk you have it here to flash your credit card. Other places where this can happen are gas stations, restaurants, pubs where the cards are flashed and taken away from you to swipe for the transaction.
It is impossible to stop such kinds of thefts but, it is always better to take our own precautions. Few tips which can be followed to save you from such theft –
- Memorize the CVV no. and erase it from the back side of the card. You can erase the CVV no. or blacken it out with a permanent marker. This way you can be spared by online thefts.
- Activate mobile alert or email alerts for the transactions made from your card if it exceeds certain threshold amount.
- If at all you have flashed the card in the above named countries and you doubt that you card has been copied, then immediately block the card and request for a new card.
Do let me know if there are any more tips or precautions need to be taken care for. It would be helpful to everyone.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
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