How to Avoid Credit Card Fraud/Skimming?

vikvance on 10/09/2023 - 07:31
Last edited 10/09/2023 - 07:32

I had my debit card details compromised recently & wanted some help with understanding how I can be more careful in the future.

The confusing thing for me is that I had generally tried to be very careful about where I used the card:

  • I mostly only used the card for physical tap & pay or swipe transactions.
  • I haven't travelled overseas & I didn't use the card on any overseas websites.
  • I did use the card on Australian websites, but these mostly appeared to be websites with good online security, such as Coles, DHL etc.

Was it possible that my card details were skimmed while I was in-store or walking around in a shopping mall ?

And is it likely that these details were skimmed while I was physically taking the card out to do the pay-wave transaction, or could it even have been skimmed while the card was in my wallet & in my trousers ?

Could the card details have been compromised by one of the shop assistants, by somehow extracting them from the card reader machine after I had left the store ?

Financial

Comments

  • 87percent on 10/09/2023 - 07:36
    +6

    Did you use an atm? That’s how I, along with a few people from my work, got our cards skimmed when the machine near our work was done

    • Loopholio on 11/09/2023 - 12:13
      +3

      I try to pull out the card reader slot out when I use an ATM. This is a tip I read about which said this can break the glue used on a dodgy card reader. I'm probably wasting my time but it only takes a few seconds.

      The only issue is there aren't many ATMs near me and if one feels loose it's not like I can find another without paying a fee.

      • 87percent on 12/09/2023 - 19:53
        +1

        Yeah after that happened, I started doing the same OR only use ATM inside banks

  • Melencir on 10/09/2023 - 07:38
    +7

    Did you take a taxi? I've heard some taxi drivers are dodgy

  • Of Aquitaine on 10/09/2023 - 07:47

    My bank told me it could have happened up to a couple of years ago. Not easy to pinpoint from that amount of time.

  • boomramada on 10/09/2023 - 07:58
    +5

    My account got compromised even without making a transaction or card not leaving the house. According to the bank it caused by doddgy third party bank interface. What matters is banks refund processes.

  • geekcohen on 10/09/2023 - 08:12

    I did use the card on Australian websites, but these mostly appeared to be websites with good online security, such as Coles, DHL etc.

    Doesn't matter. It can happen to any Australian Business. Just like Dymocks. My wife is a customer and even though she checks out as a guest on most websites, there is still a risk.

    Depending on your bank, they generate a unique CVC number that lasts 24 hours before expiring and a new one is generated for your cards which you can use for online purchases. This is generally available in the app. I have noticed it with CBA recently. Maybe do that for future purchases online to help mitigate the risk when buying online. Or use PayPal where available.

  • holdenmg on 10/09/2023 - 08:23
    +1

    Try using a NFC Phone instead of a Physical Card?

  • PLIHA5 on 10/09/2023 - 08:36
    +5

    Never swipe your card, NEVER, try to use tap and pay only. Get Apple Pay or android pay service and your card details won’t be shared anymore. And don’t use ANY atm that are not in the bank, it’s a most common way to skim cards.

  • Protractor on 10/09/2023 - 09:40

    Who knows what scum access the cards we have sent out from banks,to us via APost.
    I see this as a massive loophole now tap and go is a thing

  • deme on 10/09/2023 - 09:44
    +2

    Don't worry about it, it's the banks responsibility not yours.

  • TheMindsetTraveller on 10/09/2023 - 13:27

    Leave cards at home, turn the phone on flight mode or even turn off when not in use, and just pay cash for all transactions.

    When low on cash, withdraw in person over the counter.

    • barcer on 12/09/2023 - 17:31

      Yeah, that works really well for online purchases, or places that don't accept cash. 🙄

  • vikvance on 10/09/2023 - 13:44

    Thanks for the replies everyone, although they've mostly left me more confused. :-)

    Let me ask my question in a different way:

    The fraudulent transactions started shortly after I visited my local branch of EB Games, for the very first time, where I did a tap-and-pay transaction with my physical card. I'm now paranoid that the two events are somehow linked.

    Is it possible that I'm correct & they are somehow linked, and either there was a customer discreetly standing nearby with a skimmer, or else somehow the shop assistants extracted my card details from the EFTPOS machine, after I had left the store ? (The reason I suspect that it was an Aussie person who committed the fraud, was because two of the fraudulent transactions were online purchases at JD Sports Australia.)

    Or, am I being paranoid for no reason & it is unlikely that my card was compromised in this way ? Or, in any case that it is equally likely that my card was compromised in one of a hundred other places, or even remotely in some other country ?

    • Protractor on 10/09/2023 - 19:19

      Get a temp credit card, go back to EB. Make sml purchase. Monitor outcome

    • boomramada on 10/09/2023 - 19:53
      +1

      If you paranoid, ask bank to issue you a new card. I have been scammed half a dozen time in various occasions. No big deal, just annoying.

      • vikvance on 10/09/2023 - 22:07

        Yes, getting a new card number was the 1st thing I did.

        The worrying thing for me is that I'm at a loss to understand how my details were compromised because I thought I was being very careful.

        I also have a large number of cards stashed away in my desk drawer that I never use, e.g. a Coles No-Annual-Fee Card that I got for the Flybuys points & then never bothered cancelling because it's free. I never look at the statements for these cards because I assumed that they can never be compromised if I'm never using them.

        But, if the comments here are correct that my card usage habits had nothing to do with the details being compromised, then I should immediately start cancelling every card except the one that I use regularly & whose statements I can monitor.

  • bobbified on 10/09/2023 - 14:56
    -3

    How to Avoid Credit Card Fraud/Skimming ?

    1. Don't use credit cards.

    2. Buy one of these

  • AwesomeAndrew on 10/09/2023 - 18:39
    +1

    I use a debit card and just keep less than $20 in the account unless I plan to make large purchases. In that case I transfer the money from savings account right before I make the purchase to minimize the time large sums of money are in the account. This way if the card is ever compromised the loss can be limited to less than $20.

    • miwahni on 10/09/2023 - 21:38
      +1

      If it's a visa / mastercard debit card then numerous transactions can go through if they're under the "floor limit" usually $100 - banks will always honour these transactions but slug you with a fee for honouring them / overdrawn fee. They will give it back when the fraud is reported and investigated, but having a small balance won't protect you against fraud.

  • miwahni on 10/09/2023 - 21:34
    +2

    In all likelihood the card number was used as part of a fraud that just tries different combinations of numbers until it hits gold with a valid number. Nothing to do with how or where you use your card. My credit card number was used four times in rapid succesion, three times in Sydney and one in southern NSW, during Covid 19 lockdown. I live in Qld. ING alerted me to the fraud and requested I fill in a form from their website re fraudulent transactions, then refunded the money in full and organised a new card with a different card number for me. Bit of a nuisance due to a couple of direct debits but it didn't take too long to sort out.

  • MeesusEff on 11/09/2023 - 02:15

    My parents and brother's CC's were skimmed in the past few months (KL and Aust debit), they don't online shop and would tap and pay at most,so pretty sure that's how. I've been using Samsung pay mostly and I online shop heaps and haven't been skimmed in years. Trying to get them to move to NFC but they're too 'old fashioned'

  • No and then on 11/09/2023 - 07:34

    Ive had fraudulent transactions twice in 12 months. Second time the bank didn't agree it wasn't mine so complained through afca to try my luck and luckily the bank complied. Before the fraudulent transactions, I had paid a $1900 and $500 bill. The amount I disputed was just $100!! If it truly wasn't mine, why would I dispute the smaller amount. Now out of paranoia, I keep my MasterCard locked the whole time until I need it. Which is very annoying.

  • Marty156 on 11/09/2023 - 08:20
    +1

    I had a brand new -unused- credit card sitting in a safe at home.
    Never been used, never been outside the safe.
    Bank contacted me about some suspect transactions on that card!

    So, even when not used, cards are possible to be scammed!

  • mischke on 11/09/2023 - 08:38

    In my wallet, I've got my bank cards wrapped in a metal sleeve from made from a pie/lasagna tray base.

    Tested that it blocks paywave.

    • Loopholio on 11/09/2023 - 12:22

      That will work, so will having two or more NFC cards in the same wallet.

  • Chewy2221 on 11/09/2023 - 09:03

    I had a number of fraudulent transactions in the days after an (infrequent)eBay purchase. I have not used eBay since & fraudulent transactions have not recurred . It could,of course, be a coincidence. I am usually very careful with card use & this was the only irregular transaction.
    Good luck in locating the scammers.

  • TilacVIP on 13/09/2023 - 01:16

    Top this one….

    Card (debit card) never been used once, ever & still there was a purchase made in the USA for an amount of $122 USD on it.

    How is that even possible, I asked the Bank (Comm). Their answer was… oh the crims are very creative & sophisticated? WTF? How so, when technically the card has never registered a payment or purchase.

    • boomramada on 13/09/2023 - 10:46

      Thats what happend to me, that through their interface to thrid party providers got hacked.

    • vikvance on 14/09/2023 - 09:31
      +1

      Reading stuff like this is really shocking to me.

      I had always assumed that fraudulent transactions could only happen if you used cards in an unsafe way, such as on a dodgy website or a shop where the assistant could see your card details.

      I'm just amazed that banks aren't doing more to secure this, particularly because all bank accounts now have visa/mastercard debit cards & a criminal could just clean out your entire account.

      • TilacVIP on 14/09/2023 - 14:17

        What was worst is that although we initially had the money returned, it was later reversed, claiming that the merchant verified the transaction was legit, but could not provide details (ie. where, when, what was the item, where was it delivered etc etc). I mentioned to the lady at the bank, if this were a "credit Card" (it was a debit card), I wouldn't be sitting here.

        We had to do a bit of "to & fro" until we finally got our money back.

        Yes… that Bank!

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