Bankers Association offers tips against card skimmers

In response to recent reports of card-skimming, the Bankers Association of TT (BATT) is urging customers to take precautions when using their bank cards, especially for transactions at point-of-sale machines and delivery transactions.

A media release from BATT on Friday said the two areas where card-skimming appeared to be most prevalent were over-the-counter transations and delivery transactions.

Owing to this, the association urged customers and business owners to be wary of these scams when buying or receiving goods from delivery sales representatives and customer sales representatives.

If during a delivery transaction the first attempt fails, the delivery representative may ask the customer to hold on and retrieve a second terminal from the vehicle to swipe the card again.

In these cases, BATT urges customers to make note of the transactions in detail, including the date and time, the vehicle number of the delivery driver and the representative name, and report the transaction to the bank immediately.

Customers are also urged to end the transaction if they are suspicious that they may be skimmed.

For over-the-counter transactions, BATT urged customers to be vigilant and keep their bank card in sight at all times during the process. Customers were also advised to cover the keypad of the machine when typing in their PIN, record every detail of the transaction, including the date and time, and take note of the price on the receipt, as it may be inflated for incidents of skimming.

The release said "various services, technology and products" were introduced to prevent fraudulent activities.