Credit card ‘skimming’ crime on increase

Most of us make payments with your credit cards. When you give your credit card to make payment in a shop or insert it into an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), then your card information is taken away using a small machine called a skimmer and you can be a victim of an international crime called ‘skimming’.

The cyber crime cell of the Chennai Police has received more than 25 complaints from persons who had become victims of such scam.

In their complaints victims have said that they had lost money from ATMs through forged credit cards. A senior police official told, “skimming is done in connivance with an UK-based gang that clones credit cards using a small machine called a skimmer which reads the data on the magnetic strip of the card and clones it.” The forged cards are then sent to India.

‘Fake card entry slots are used by criminals who perpetuate this crime. The information on the card is recorded on a device hidden in the card entry slot.’

A senior police official told, last year the cyber crime police had recovered 160 fake international credit cards using which four-member gang were to withdraw Rs 15 crore.

In span of three days the accused had cheated people of over Rs 20 lakh, but police was able to recover about Rs six lakh from the accused.

The accused had cloned credit cards to shop at five-star hotels, malls and jewellery stores in the city. He said, the accused had skimmed credit cards of tourists.

He has advised the credit card users to be careful when giving card for sweep and keep an eye on suspicious individuals if present around when using your credit or debit card.

He also said the cardholders should not allow their credit or debit card to be swiped out of your view. Also be aware of unusual devices or card readers attached to an ATM machine.

An office-bearer of the Chennai Credit Cards Users Association said, “Apart from complaints on banks, we do receive complaints pertaining to skimming these days which we are forwarding to police officials.” He added, “We are also planning to conduct awareness programmes in this regard.”