Store cashier caught 'skimming'

Rizwana Sheik Umar

South Africa's banks have warned consumers of a surge in credit and debit card "skimming" in the festive season after the arrest of a Durban retail chain cashier suspected of doing so.

The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) said shoppers should be aware of who was swiping their debit or credit cards, and be as alert with their cards as they were with cash.

This caution to consumers was prompted by the recent arrest of a cashier at Game at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping after a store manager swooped on him when a customer reported his suspicion.

National Consumer Forum chairman, Thami Bolani, said this was the first card counterfeiting attempt reported at a major retail outlet. Criminals were taking advantage of people who were uninformed, he said. The only way to curb card crime was for people to become more aware when making electronic transactions.

This breaking news flash was supplied exclusively to iol.co.za by the news desk at our sister title, the Daily News.

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