Woolworths staff banned from handling customer cards

In a move to prevent card fraud, Woolworths staff have been prohibited from handling shoppers bank cards and the store’s loyalty rewards cards, reports South Coast Herald.

A spokesperson from the company said these measures have been implemented in a bid to add a layer of protection for shoppers in their stores against card fraud.

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Business Insider SA explains that the new point-of-sales device faces the customer and is further away from the cashier than other store’s machines. Shoppers now swipe both their Woolworths loyalty cards and bank cards, instead of a cashier assisting them.

According to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric), South Africans lose an estimated half-a-billion rand annually due to card fraud.

Selected Woolworths stores will also have the newest feature in card technology, called ‘tap’ payments. These payments are generally reserved for purchases under R200 and require no PIN. 

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