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| Thumb National has learned of a scam in the Las Vegas area where
cardholders willingly shared magnetic stripes and PIN data
with a criminal. As many as 500 cardholders may have
been scammed in a single day. A fictitious company,
Free Tell, hired a legitimate survey company to randomly
survey patrons of a mall near the main strip of Las Vegas.
A Free Tell representative was sent to the mall to set up
a "dummy" ATM machine and show interviewers how
to use it. Interviewers were instructed to have
participants swipe ATM cards and enter PIN's. Those
surveyed were asked to perform various transactions -
balance inquiries, withdrawals, and transfers - and view
an advertising video. Free Tell indicated that the
purpose of the survey was to determine whether customers
would prefer to pay an ATM surcharge or see advertisements
during their transactions. A questionnaire was given
to participants about the advertisements.
Participants were asked to enter their PIN's twice, but
legitimate transactions were not completed, as the ATM was
not linked to a processor. Each person who took part
in the survey was offered $5.00 for his or her time.
Shortly after the survey was completed, captured
information appears to have been used to withdraw funds
fraudulently from survey participants' accounts.
Thumb National is reminding you of
the importance of protecting your ATM card information and
PIN's in even the most innocent-seeming situations,
whether you are being asked by surveyors, telemarketers,
or even people you know. The only time you should
share such information is when you are sure you are
communicating with a legitimate representative of Thumb
National, and PIN's should never be shared.
If you would like further information on
safety tips for your ATM or MasterMoney card, please
contact your nearest branch office.
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