Ecuador: Banking official warns to be vigilant over the holidays with credit, debit cards

1. Be on alert for cloning machines when withdrawing cash at ATM’s. Always cover the keypad when using your pin number.
2. Make sure when you use a credit or debit card that the clerk or individual you gave it to – returns your card and does not give you another card. (called tarjetazo).
3. Caution should be used in conducting banking or purchases on the internet at public terminals.

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IF YOU LIVE IN ECUADOR OR YOU ARE THINKING OF MOVING THERE – THIS BOOK WILL PROVIDE YOU PLENTY OF INFORMATION ON SAFETY AND SECURITY.
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Elcomercio.com reported In these days of hustle and bustle around the time, users of credit cards and bank debit are most vulnerable to the risk of theft and electronic fraud. While they pay their accounts through this mechanism they are exposed make their cards cloned or becoming victims of the ‘tarjetazo’ (when strangers take advantage of the neglect of the card or change it on the other). Another danger occurs when not taking the necessary precautions when withdrawing money from an ATM. Those are the main risks which warns Pablo Córdova, Chairman of the Security Committee of the private banks of the Ecuador Association (ABPE). According to the prosecution, 314 cases of theft, card cloning and violation of keys were reported between November 2012 and January this year. For the ABPE, that number is lower than what actually happens, because people do not report at the same time of affectation. This because recently find out in January when they receive the statement and they are surprised with debits for purchases they never made. Also because to be more focused on the holidays like Christmas and new year forget the complaints. Lived that the Santiago Durán, 26-year-old, when he went to the ATM to take out $ 100. Recently there he noticed that they had robbed USD 40. “At first I thought to denounce what happened, but I despreocupé do it by my work activities.” The best-known forms for electronic fraud, according to the Superintendency of banking and insurance (SBS), are the theft of pin numbers that the suspects made transfers to third party accounts, since the latter make the withdrawal. Another form of fraud takes place, through web sites that offer products or services unreal. In addition, the impersonation. I.e. unknown open accounts or carry out transactions on behalf of persons who have stolen your identity card or passport. In this, Cordova advised to be careful with transactions and purchases that made online to avoid what happened to the engineer Pedro Martínez. In your private mail, professional received a message where invited to you to enter to the website of a store that offered gifts at low prices. Not realized that it was a fake site and entered your credit card number. Two days later, the 43-year-old man detected in your account a shortage of USD 200. It now manages the return of what was lost. In the SBS and the Prosecutor’s Office reported that, in these cases, be returned the money if there was a computer crime. But whether it was carelessness of the customer, there will be no refunds. The recommendations Recognize or memorize the name of the page from your bank. Also bring a list of expenses to know if money is missing in your account. When you make withdrawals from ATMs, remember to cover with your hands to enter the key. Do not count the money after out of the ATM. Before inserting any card, check which slots that there is an alien device then there can clone your card. Banks and financial institutions do not ask secret card keys, nor the names of its closest relatives by telephone or email. Never write your password, store it and change it every so often. To choose a code that is more security, you can use the first letters of each word in a song or favorite phrase. Do not perform transactions via the Internet from public computers. When you pay with your credit card consumption, watch that does not perform a ‘skimming’ (copied from magnetic stripe information) and check that the card returned to you is theirs. Until the end of 2014, the banks will have to change magnetic stripe cards with chip cards, offering greater security against cloning. It thus had the Superintendency of banking and insurance. Read Article