As South Africans prepare to travel to holiday destinations around the country, Absa’s card division has advised its customers to be even more vigilant about the card and ATM fraud ahead of Easter.
“Customers who travel, stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, and draw cash from unfamiliar ATMs during Easter, increase their risk of being victims of the card and ATM-related crime. However, it is possible to prevent this from happening by taking a few simple precautions,” says Geoff Lee, head of Absa Card.
“Customers should always remember that without the correct PIN, an ATM card is useless and there are various things they can do, such as stopping their card, which can limit any financial damage.”
He warns customers drawing money from ATMs to be particularly wary of well-dressed, friendly strangers offering assistance at the ATMs.
“The perpetrators of ATM crime often use sleight-of-hand techniques to obtain your card. They may try to convince you that your card has been swallowed by the ATM and abuse your trust to allow him or an accomplice to observe you entering your PIN,” says Geoff.
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