APAC Overseas Fraud

A spokesman for the APAC's says overseas fraud using British cards has increased over the last couple of years because scam artists are using them to pay for goods in countries that do not yet use Chip and Pin technology.   I wrote about this in early October.   (Some People Claim That There's a Woman to Blame)

They are advising cardholders to make sure their bank has up-to-date contact details for them and that they always check their statements against their receipts to detect any suspicious transactions.

"Your card can be used abroad even when you're not. You are getting cards being compromised in the UK and then going abroad without you," the spokesman said.

According to APACS fraud statistics for January to June 2008, plastic card fraud losses were up 14 per cent to £301.7 million in first six months of last year, of which more than 40 per cent was the result of fraud abroad.  Around 40 per cent of the total was due to fraud committed overseas, it said.

Related articles from the PIN Debit Payments Blog

• Some People Claim that there's a Woman to Blame
•  UK Card Fraud 14 Times Higher Overseas
• APACS Interactive Payments Guide
  
• Debit Card Fraud 101