Last night’s news about a man whose ATM card was just with him but had a big amount withdrawn from said account was something that looks like it was a clip from a movie.
But it wasn’t, it was real.
He was a victim of electronic pickpocketing.
Highly unlikely that people with ATM cards and credit cards can be victims of such high-tech crime but it can happen. There are a few precautions one can do to avoid being a victim:
- cover the ATM’s keypad with your hand when you withdraw money
- in establishments where you give your card to the staff for payment like in restaurants, do go to the cashier so that you can see how they handle your credit/debit card. You don’t want the staff to jot down your card details. They may not be the one doing the electronic theft, but they may give these information to others.
- use RIFD blocking products for contactless cards to avoid having your card details read by the gadgets that are made to do just that
In every way, always be careful with your things.
