The Caiman Vybe Volume 1, No 1 Dec 9 2017

STUDENTS BEWARE... POLICE SAY CARD SKIMMING IS ON THE RISE By Malissa Patterson Guardian Media’s Managing Director Lucio Mes- quita, a victim of card skimming, makes a point to Malissa Patterson. Acting Senior Superintendent Totaram Dookie shows one card skimmer. P icture this: You decide to use your card at an ATM and dis- cover that you have significantly fewer funds than you thought. You double check and realise that something is wrong. You suspect that your card has been skimmed. Skimming is a strategy used by high-tech thieves. This card skimmer steals your card data from the magnetic strip on your cards. Whether we use debit or credit cards, we all need to keep our finances safe. As students, we use our money for: to purchase a meal or beverage to sustain us before our three hour classes, to pay school fees and to save us from our bills. Financial safety should be considered regularly and according to Fraud Squad Acting Senior Superintendent Totaram Dookhie, “the last four years saw an alarming increase of 181 percent” in card skimming. Dookhie was speaking at a media briefing held in August this year. He stated that vari- ous groups are working together to target the syndicates. He noted that both foreign and local persons are involved in card skim- ming and some of them have been arrested. While officers are working to catch these criminals, these fraudsters are using more high tech devices to complete their crimes. A Guardian reporter interviewed an officer who said, “It has become even more difficult and this bank fraud and online fraud are not only a serious problem here in T&T but it is a global problem.” The officer said in the past the police were making “serious dents” in the investigations. The Caiman Vybe spoke with a few people. Guardian Media’s Managing Director, Lucio Mesquita, said he was a victim twice. Thieves stole more than $1,500 from his card. He said “there needs to be more security mea- sures in place.” Mesquita said, “It’s a strange feeling knowing someone is pretending to be you.” Junior, a Santa Cruz resident, said $5,000 was stolen from his account in June this year. The thief removed $2,500 each from different ATMs and different banks, taking away what was allocated to pay his rent. Expressing his frustration, he was saddened that someone would steal his “hard earned money.” Caiman Vybe | Volume 1, No. 1 | December 9, 2017. 5 TIPS TO STAY SAFE 1. Disguise your PIN. Do not select numbers that others can guess 2. If the machine retains your card, it is possible that a criminal may have rigged the machine so that he/she will retrieve your card after you leave. 3. Keep the receipts of transactions done at the ATM and compare them to your next bank statement. 4. Memorise your PIN If you must write it down, keep your PIN separate from your card 5. Be aware of your surroundings before entering the area. Avoid being in the same booth if others are hovering around More tips can be found here: https://batt.org.tt/resource-centre/safety

The Caiman Vybe Volume 1, No 1 Dec 9 2017 | Page 5