Tourists in Namibia targeted in credit card cloning
THE Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations (Fenata) cautioned last week that a credit card information theft gang is targeting tourists in the country. There have been several reports recently of tourists to the country claiming irregularities. Visitors are reminded never to let their credit cards out of their sights, especially at tourist establishments. Luxury lodges and Namibia Wildlife Resorts rest camps have reportedly been targeted.
There are thought to be up to 20 scanning devices in circulation at tourism establishments across the country, though police and resort owners have been working together to catch employees involved in the cloning and several arrests have been made. Management of the Gondwana Namibia Collection, whose resorts have been targeted by the scam, have instructed staff that the clients themselves must swipe their cards and it is advised that tourists follow this advice when using their credit cards.
The scam involves using a scanning machine (described as a black, hand-held device) to copy card information, which is then imprinted onto actual credit cards using another machine. This method has been used to defraud cardholders in several countries across the world.
