Motorist claims card skimming
Mr Athol Stark, a tourism role player in the Highveld, said he nearly fell a victim at Leandra Toll Gate when an employee allegedly slipped his card under his (the employee's) arm while he kept looking Stark in his eyes.
MBOMBELA – The arrest of a toll-gate employee of Leandra Toll Gate in connection with skimming motorists’ debit cards resulted in another motorist calling for investigations to be done.
Mr Athol Stark, a tourism role player in the Highveld, said he nearly fell a victim at Leandra Toll Gate when an employee allegedly slipped his card under his (the employee’s) arm while he kept looking Stark in his eyes.
“I speculated that something fishy was going on and I asked him what he was doing with my card, and the employee began to shout at me ordering me to go as I was blocking other traffic,” said Stark.
He parked nearby the gate and asked to speak to the manager. After waiting for approximately 40 minutes without the manager coming to address him, he called his bank to cancel the card and continued with his journey.
“Nothing happened on that day, but I am 100 per cent sure that he was doing something with my card,” he said.
Seven months later Stark used the same toll gate and used another debit card. His card was allegedly skimmed.
“I was surprised to receive a notice that someone used my card to purchase groceries worth over R7 800 somewhere in America, yet I had my card with me here in South Africa,” he said. I am definitely going to call the Hawks to investigate this too,” he said.
Stark’s revelations come after he read Mpumalanga News article about the toll-gate employee who was arrested in connection with skimming motorists’ debit cards. Hawks Serious Commercial Crime Investigation provincial spokesperson,
Lt Dineo Sekgotodi, said the suspect Mr Tango Jose (23) was arrested at the Leandra Toll Gate on April 26 at about 11:00.
