Be careful of bank card cloning

Mrs Gaynor Paynter, ward 118 committee public safety representative, said she and her husband found out that one of their bank cards were cloned on June 28.
They were at an automated teller machine (ATM) in Bedfordview when they found out that all their money was removed from their account.
It was after hours. The couple rushed to a bank where they were fortunate to find someone to help them. He gave me the number to phone to block the card, which I did. My husbands salary was going in overnight. The reason for me highlighting this incident is because we were number 245 to report a case of bank fraud on that day at that bank. At least one man was unfamiliar with bank card cloning when I told him it had happened to us, she said.
Ms Paynter obtained information about bank card cloning to help the public understand what criminals do.
Criminals clone bank cards by sticking a device into an ATM or a card swiping machine. This device gathers the information from the magnetic strip of your card. Criminals are then able to use this information to draw money from your account.
Ms Paynter said there are various things a person can do. She gave the following advice:
go to the bank and request a card with a chip if you do not have one already. This chip makes it harder for criminals to clone cards.
Check every machine or ATM before you insert your card to make sure that no device has been inserted in it.
Do not let your card out of your sight.
Enable notify me or your bank’s equivalent so that you get an SMS every time a transaction is done.
She urged residents to join www.facebook.com/Ward118CommitteePSP. Ms Paynter tries to keep residents informed about what is happening in the ward.