National Commercial Bank (NCB) said it has observed a trend in recent times whereby criminals steal Point of Sale (POS) terminals from merchant locations and tamper with it in an effort to capture cardholders’ data.

The terminal is then returned to either the merchant location or another merchant location.

NCB said it is committed to working with the authorities to identify and prevent this type of activity.  

It is, therefore, encouraging merchants to take the following precautions to help minimize the risk of theft:

Ensure that the terminal is safe, in view and is used only by authorized staff especially if it is located at or near the entrance to their stores. They may also consider using their security cameras to deter removal.

Develop a schedule to inspect terminals to look for anything abnormal or any marked differences on the terminal.

Educate their staff to be conscious of those types of attacks and associated risks.

Never allow any unauthorised person to access the terminal. If they are not familiar with a representative claiming to be from their bank, ask them to present both their national and company ID or contact the bank to confirm the representative’s identity.

Report missing terminals immediately to their bank and the nearest police station. The receipt for the police report and/or the actual report should be provided to the bank.

If their missing terminal reappears, they should not process any transactions.

NCB is also encouraging customers to remain vigilant with the use of their cards.

“If your card is swiped on two different POS terminals, raise it with the location manager,” the bank said.

“If the POS terminal is taken from bags, under counters or other unusual locations, raise it with your bank or the location manager. Monitor card accounts and report suspicious transactions immediately,” NCB said.