A McDonald’s employee is being investigated for fraud after it was found he was allegedly card skimming.
The 25-year-old male was arrested on October 27 at the restaurant on Monument Road.
According to the police’s Capt Neldah Sekgobela, the employee would target customers who paid with their bank cards when purchasing food at the outlet.
“He would then record all their banking details and then later this information to make purchases of his own,” Sekgobela confirmed.
Jo-Ann de Wet, McDonald’s SA chief operations and supply chain officer, confirmed the incident and said police were investigating the matter.
“We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation involving one of our employees from our Kempton Park restaurant,” De Wet said in a statement.
“We cannot provide further details as an investigation is still in process. We will continue to cooperate with the South African Police Service as they conclude their investigation into the matter. The safety and security of our customers and crew is of the utmost importance to us and as such, receives our highest priority,” she concluded.
About card skimming
Card skimming has become a global phenomenon where fraudsters all around the world use this method to rob people of their hard-earned money, without victims noticing until it is too late.
According to The Banking Association of South Africa, scammers involved in card skimming or card cloning use a card-skimming device to fraudulently copy the bank details of customers which are stored on the magnetic strip on a debit or credit card.
“Whenever you present your card for payment you run the risk of being skimmed. However, the majority of skimming incidents in South Africa are recorded around ATMs and, to a lesser extent, at retail merchants when bank cards are presented for payments,” the organisation explained.
The customer and card information stolen with skimming devices is often used to manufacture counterfeit (duplicate) cards which criminals use to make fraudulent transactions on a victim’s account.
According to experts, the fraud cannot take place unless the scammers have the person’s PIN number, therefore it is imperative that people ensure that no one can see when entering their PIN code.
Here are some tips from the association on how to avoid falling victim to card skimming when paying with your card:
• Ensure your card never leaves your sight: most restaurants and shops have portable card swipe machines so there should be no reason for your card to leave your presence. If the person needs to use a different machine always accompany that person.
• Ensure that your card is not swapped for another card after paying.
• Use cash instead of your card if you have any suspicions.
• Monitor your bank statements for any unusual transactions.
• If married, reconcile your account transactions with your spouse on a regular basis.
Information sourced from www.banking.org.za.
