Stolen & Cloned Cards

This can be a problem for you if you employ someone who is skimming your customers card details. The details then either get used by the firm that he/she is working for, or is used and then sold onto the next gang.

Stolen credit cards may be a problem for you if you open up a tab using a card, and then six hours later, discover the customer has left the premises with you clutching a card that has subsequently been stopped by the issuer.

Cards that are cloned, are cloned onto fake cards bearing the name of the identity a person is using. It is not the identity of the person whose details have been programmed into the card.

Because all transactions are in binary, including the cardholder name, it is not until the card is referred, that an issue will arise. If a customers card is referred, and they act suspiciously, it could be that the issuer will need to speak to the cardholder, and that the cardholder sat or stood infront of you is not the original cardholder. It is at this point, the identity discrepancy will arise.

The advice is to be cautious for your safety, or to advise staff that this could cause the customer to become abusive, physically violent, or to abscond. In all cases you should put the safety of your staff first.

Not everyone knows about this, so if this occurs, just be aware that your safety may be in danger. You should contact the Police immediately, and if your premises is not covered by CCTV, try to obtain the registration number of the vehicle the absconder is using.