10 tips to keep your money safe from criminals this holiday

South African banking customers should be aware that criminals can use time spent at an ATM or a pay-point as an opportunity to steal their money.

With the festive season in full swing, more people are travelling to spend time away from home or with their families.

FNB has warned this period is typically rife with attempts to defraud unsuspecting consumers of their hard-earned money.

FNB Points of Presence CEO Lee-Anne van Zyl said consumers usually withdrew large sums of money during this time.

“Some may be withdrawing cash to pay for long-distance trips via public transport or goods in areas that only accept cash,” she explained.

“Due to the high usage of cash, we often see a rise in ATM-related fraud, so it is important to warn and educate consumers to be vigilant.”

In this regard, FNB provided 10 tips to South Africans to keep their money safe at the ATM during the festive season.

These are as follows:

1. Carefully read the instructions on the ATM screen before entering your PIN.
2. Never force your card into the ATM or use an ATM if it looks faulty or has been tampered with.
3. Do not enter your PIN if the ATM screen is unfamiliar to you; rather, cancel the transaction.
4. Never share or write down your ATM PIN, and never share it with anyone.
5. When transacting, stand close to the ATM and never allow anyone to distract you.
6. When entering your PIN, cover the ATM keypad with your hand as a precautionary measure.
7. Avoid handling cash in public, and always secure your wallet and handbag before leaving the ATM.
8. Set a realistic daily limit on your cash withdrawals to protect yourself.
9. Be wary of strangers that may call you back to the ATM to complete a transaction.
10. Use cardless cash withdrawals to eliminate the risk of your card being cloned or stolen.

Fraudsters working in shops can also use mobile skimming devices to copy your card’s details when you make a payment if you don’t keep an eye on your card at all times.

They typically combine this with clever social engineering that lets victims inadvertently share their PIN or type it into a fake point-of-sale device.

To minimise the risk of a card being cloned, Van Zyl said customers should use contactless tap payments with their card or linked smart device.

In addition, she encouraged using a mobile banking app, online and cellphone banking, where possible.

One of the common ways in which criminals steal banking card details at the ATM is to insert a skimming device inside or over the card slot.

The device captures your card details and is typically used in conjunction with a pinhole camera or keyboard over the actual keypad that records your finger strokes as you type in your PIN.

The images below show examples of ATM-mounted skimming devices to look out for.

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