Fraudulent ATM skimming: Industry says situation under control but urges vigilance

Tuesday, 5 February 2019 01:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Payment Card Industry Association of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Ltd. yesterday said that fraudulent withdrawals of funds via ATM skimming is being investigated and action is being taken but urged the public and customers to maintain great vigilance.

In a statement, the two organisations said member banks have received complaints from some customers that their savings/current accounts have been debited through fraudulent ATM withdrawals. This was a result of some card data that had been compromised through ATM skimming activities, where cloned cards have been created to make these fraudulent withdrawals. As soon as they received complaints, member banks took prompt action to attend to the complaints received and credit the accounts upon verification.

In addition, banks have proactively contacted customers whose cards had been used at identified ATM locations where the skimming had taken place.

“We wish to confirm that all member banks have taken steps to bring the situation under control as soon as the compromised details were identified. Also, as a body, all banks are working collectively with relevant authorities to bring the fraudsters to justice,” the joint statement said.

“We also wish to inform the general public that the ATM networks and the cards are safe for transacting. We urge the general public to inform their respective banks immediately in the event any unauthorised/suspicious transactions are noticed on their account. The public is also advised to subscribe for the SMS transaction alert facility through their respective banks,” the joint statement by the Payment Card Industry Association of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association added.