Credit card fraudsters in China steal money a little at a time
Staff Reporter 2013-07-27 17:33
The account record of a victim of credit card fraud shows several small transactions. (Internet photo)
An increasing number of customers at the Postal Savings Bank of China have complained that their debit cards have been used illegally to make purchases. Most purchases are worth small amounts of money, mostly falling between 20 and a couple of hundred yuan (US$3.26-$33.30)and were made within a couple of days of each other.
A customer in Beijing surnamed Wei said his identity had been stolen since April 16 and all the money in his account had disappeared by mid-May. The thief made purchases with his card several times a day, which stopped when the thief spent 1,000 yuan (US$163) in one day.
Wei lost 9,500 yuan (US$1,550) in total. He said he hadn't realized that his money was being stolen until he went shopping online and found there was no credit left on his card.
A Beijing resident surnamed Hou said he had also been a victim of credit card fraud, as he had lost at least 900 yuan (US$147) from June 2 to 6.
Beijing is not the only city in which such crimes have occurred. Over 20 provinces or cities, including Shanghai, Guangdong and Jiangsu have reported instances of identity theft.
A Shanghai resident surnamed Zhang said his card had been used 14 times to make purchases in Hunan since May 28, even though his card was still in his wallet and he hadn't left Shanghai.
Zhang noted there were other cardholders who had similar experiences, where the card's function of making payments via mobile phone had been accessed without prior consent.
As of July 25, some victims had received full or partial compensation. A victim in Jiangsu suggested that cardholders should go to the police first before notifying the banks when such incidents occur.
