The Quesnel detachment of the RCMP have received several calls of credit card fraud over the past few weeks, according to a press release from the Quesnel RCMP.
Fraudsters have been allowed to manually enter their credit or debit card number at the card reader, without presenting the card to merchants. Some fraudsters have also been reading off card numbers to unsuspecting merchants over the phone.
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These numbers, says the release, have been stolen. Because the cards themselves have not been taken, the victims often do not learn they have been defrauded until after the charges appear on their bank statements.
The Quesnel RCMP listed a few steps to help businesses and individuals remain vigilant in preventing this:
Be careful of making large “one off” purchases both over the phone or in person.
Ask customers to see the credit card and valid picture identification in person, or for the expiry date and verification code over the phone.
If the verification code on the back of the card is wrong or missing, or the signature on the ID does not match the one on the card, the transaction should not be completed.
Customers should keep their debit and credit cards in a safe location, and report any fraudulent activity to their financial institutions immediately.