Even if you believe in good will, if you have problems with your card at your bank's ATM, do not accept help from strangers, especially if you are a senior citizen, because they could be criminals who will take advantage of the situation to “carve” your card. In Unotv.com we tell you what this scam is all about.
For several months, both the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Users of Financial Services (Condusef) and the Association of Banks of Mexico (ABM) have alerted the population about this crime, which targets those seeking to withdraw money from their debit cards.
This, with special emphasis on the elderly, because in addition to being those who prefer the use of cash over digital money, they tend to require help to use ATMs, because sometimes their screens are difficult to read, being left in the hands of whoever is around them, as bank staff only attends when the branch is open.
What is card milling?
Although you probably already know, as several cases have gone viral through social networks, card skimming is the scam method to steal your debit card, and money, in which criminals take your plastic and then get your PIN (Personal Identification Number).
They do this by altering the ATM slot where the card is inserted so that it cannot be read, so one of them offers to help you, assuring you that you only have to clean, or “carve” the plastic to make it work, taking advantage of this to change your card for another one without you noticing.
A variant, according to the ABM, is that without inserting the plastic before, the first one tells you that there are faults with the ATM and that you have to carve it so that it can read it.
When the first person leaves the branch, his accomplice enters, who takes advantage of when you enter your PIN to see it, to use it later with your plastic, which the first person took, and get the money from you. In the meantime, you will continue to have problems accessing it, and it will regularly be too late when you realize that it is not your card.
There have even been cases in which, when confronting the criminal who took your plastic, they show a different one, thus avoiding being arrested by the police. In fact, due to this type of situation, in addition to the fact that it is too late when the victim notices the change, there are no official figures on the frequency of this scam.
What do you recommend in order not to become a victim of card cutting?
In this regard, the National Commission for the Protection and Defense of Financial Services Users (Condusef) published a digital booklet on financial frauds in which it gave three recommendations:
First, never accept help from strangers when using the ATM.
Second, always cover the keypad with your hand when entering your PIN to avoid being seen.
Third, check your card before leaving the ATM and keep it with your money and receipt.
If you need help to use the machine, always look for an employee of the bank branch you went to, or someone you know who will go with you. If there is no one there, remember that at the teller machines there is the bank's customer service number, where they can help you.
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