Could your credit card be cloned?

March 16, 2007

More and more people are feeling the effects of fraud each and every single day. Now it seems that the fraudsters have managed to clone cards and use them abroad.

Once recent case involving a man named Mr Keen in the UK proved that you can do something as simple as pay for something at a petrol station and the next be called on the phone to say somebody has your details. It turned out that Mr Keen used his card in Suffolk and not too long later his details were being used in Malaysia. It does not take long for fraudsters to get your details and use them and the thought that you could innocently be buying petrol at a station and then suddenly your details are used abroad, is not comforting news.

It makes you think just how safe the chip and pin machines truly are. When Mr Keen shopped using his card in a chip and pin machine he never thought anything of it. We just assume that these machines are safe and that we can use them with no problem. However now it seems that that is simply not the case and everyone should be more aware of the dangers that are lurking.

People could easily look over your shoulder for example and see what you are typing in. However what seems to get most people’s details is a false pin and chip machine. Fraudsters often fit something into these types of machines and as soon as you spend on your card and place it into the machine, the fraudsters will have your details.

Overall it is possible for your card to be cloned and so you really should take extra care when spending on your card. Check that nobody can see your details and that nobody is looking directly at you whilst typing your pin number in. There is not a lot that we can do to stop faulty chip and pin machines, but we can keep an eye on the people around us.