Government representatives are warning citizens of the increasing crime rate concerning credit cards. Apparently the incidents are increasing rapidly, where people pay with their credit card in a shop or restaurant, and the personnel take the card away and copy the data from it. Also using your card to get money from an ATM machine is a risk - there have been a number of incidents where an extra card reader has been fitted so that the card data and pin code can be extracted. Once tourists get home after their holiday they see that their credit balance has disappeared from the bank account. The police advise people not to let their credit card out of their sight, even when paying in a restaurant or shop, and (when using an ATM) to make sure that the machine is in its original condition. The ATM should not contain any strange fittings or an extra card reader. So-called reliable bystanders sometimes advise you to swipe your card first through a separate card reader. NEVER DO THIS!
In Sosúa, credit card criminals have been active with separate card readers fixed alongside the normal card entry slot, and tourists have had their bank balance emptied! If this happens to you, go to the police station to make an official complaint, and take a Spanish-speaking staff member with you from your hotel.
Credit cards
We know from experience of various victims that the bank will reimburse you for the money stolen. Unfortunately the credit card fraud that we're all so used to in Europe and the USA, has now also reached the Dominican Republic.
How very true!!!!
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