# WARNING: Credit/Debit card scam



## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

I have just been advised of a scam with credit/debit cards that I've not heard of before. I had a check on Google and apparently it has been around for a while now but probably worth another mention.

As you know when you pay by credit or debit card here the amount that you have to pay is shown on the screen and you have to accept this before entering your pin. So normally you would press the green button or OK and then enter your pin and press OK again.

The scam involves the cashier handing the machine to you with a request for you to enter the pin and at that time their finger is covering the display. You enter the pin, press OK and hand the machine back. The cashier then says there is a problem with the code and asks you to enter it again and this time the transaction goes through.

What has happened is that the cashier has not entered the amount that you owe into the machine but you actually fill this field in when you enter your pin which is displayed on the screen instead of the usual asterisks. The cashier then makes a note of your pin, clears the screen and then goes through the correct procedure to complete the sale. The cashier now of course has your card number and pin.

Alarm bells should ring twice. Firstly, when you do not authorise the amount, but folk in a hurry or strangers to the PT way of doing things may not realise what is going on. Secondly, when the usual asterisks are replaced by the pin number being displayed but how many of us would notice that. Not many by all accounts as the police say the scam is happening a lot and is mainly in bars, nightclubs, convenience stores and petrol stations.

The report that I heard stated that when one cashier was questioned by police he said that he had no idea who was behind the scam. He was approached by a stranger who offered him €600 a week to handover a list of card numbers and pins. The police say that cards are usually cloned within days of the scam and accounts then systematically emptied.

Beware people or it could be you next!


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## Slackrat (Apr 30, 2013)

Thanks for the "Heads Up"

I'm sure the alert to this scam will be heeded by many

Obrigado


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