TWO residents were collectively robbed of R30 000 in what is believed to be card swapping incidents in uMhlanga recently. In one of the incidents, a local resident had R21 000 withdrawn from her account over a period of seven days.

“The resident had used an ATM on Chartwell Drive and while she doesn’t remember anyone swapping her card, we believe the thieves may have used sleight of hand by swapping her cards without her knowing. Normally there is a duo working in tandem, one distracting you while the other swaps your card with another,” said Lt Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the Durban North station.

“In the second incident another local resident had R900 taken from their account. It’s important to keep your information confidential and avoid lonely areas. People are well within their rights to ask someone to step back,” he said.

He urged bank customers to register for the notify service, which automatically sends an SMS to customers when there was any activity on their accounts, such as withdrawals, debit orders and credit-card purchases.

“If you see anything suspicious, contact the police or cancel the transaction,” he said.