Campaign aimed at licensees and barstaff targets credit card crimes
Barstaff are being encouraged to help catch criminal colleagues as part of a campaign to prevent credit card crime.
The Card Watch campaign has been launched by the Association of Payment Clearing Services (APACS). It is encouraging staff who suspect their colleagues may be involved in credit card fraud to turn them in, in return for a £500 reward.
The campaign is divided into two parts, Spot and Stop Card Fraud and the Skimming Crackdown, and is intended to prevent fraud and help staff spot illegal cards.
It is aimed at retailers, who are often the focus of card fraudsters, and particularly at licensees and barstaff because pubs are increasingly being targeted by criminals.
APACS discovered earlier this month that barstaff were being threatened by international criminals to force them to "clone" customers' credit cards - a process known as "skimming".
Information about skimming as well as campaign posters are available to licensees and those responsible for training barstaff.
It explains that skimming costs the UK more than £125m a year and is often linked to criminals who are also involved in drug trafficking and counterfeit goods.
The campaign urges barstaff not to get involved in what could ultimately be a very dangerous scam and asks those with suspicions about colleagues to speak to the police.
As part of the Card Watch scheme, APACS has also launched an information campaign to teach barstaff how to spot fraudulent cards and what to do with them. A reward of at least £50 is offered for each fraudulent card staff retain.
The Spot and Stop Card Fraud information pack is available to licensees and aims to make fraud prevention easier for staff by giving them a routine to follow when they take card payments.
The pack contains a guide for staff to use when taking credit card payments as well as instructors' notes and slides for use in a training presentation.
Information on the Skimming Crackdown and the Spot and Stop Card Fraud campaigns is available from www.cardwatch. org.uk, cardwatch@apacs.org. uk and 020 7711 6356.
Follow these procedures to spot and stop card fraud
- Check the card - does it look genuine?
- Check the customer. Are they edgy or rushing you? Watch out for low value purchases with requests for high value cashback
- Check the signature and for signs of tampering
- Check the number on the card matches the number on the credit card print-out.
Related articles:
Pub staff targeted in credit card 'cloning' (9 May 2002)
