POS Machine Swipe Trick Scam over the phone

How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.

Callers pretend to be bank staff, police, a courier, a telecom officer or a relative, and they try to keep you on the line while you act. POS Machine Swipe Trick Scam is one of the ways this shows up: A shop or hotel staff member uses a hidden reader, double swipes or changes the amount on a card machine to take more than you agreed.

What pos machine swipe trick scam looks like over the phone

• Being told to stay on the line and not to tell your family.
• Instructions to install a screen-sharing app or to press keys on the phone.
• A second "senior officer" who takes over the call.

A dishonest staff member takes the card away from the table or counter, often saying the machine is at the back or the network is poor there. Out of your sight, the card is swiped on a second reader or on the same machine twice. Some keep a small skimming device in a pocket that stores the magnetic stripe data in a second.

Red flags to check on the phone call

• Your card is taken out of your sight to be swiped.
• The waiter says the table machine is not working.
• The screen is turned away while the amount is entered.
• A second slip appears that you did not sign.
• You are told that a case, arrest, block or penalty is coming within minutes.
• You are asked to move money to a "safe account".

What to do

1. Insist that the machine comes to your table or that you walk to the counter.
2. Watch the screen and read the amount before you enter the PIN.
3. Keep SMS alerts on for every card transaction.
4. Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back.
5. Call the bank or office on the number printed on your card, bill or official app, not on a number the caller gave.
6. Never share an OTP or PIN. No genuine staff member needs it.

Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.

If money or a code is already gone

1. Call your bank on the number printed on the back of your card and ask to block the card.
2. Call 1930 if you see a transaction you did not make.
3. Report on https://cybercrime.gov.in with the bill, slip and bank alerts.
4. Keep the shop slip and note the time and branch of the shop.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930; report at cybercrime.gov.in.

Safeavio's Money Shield checklist covers 'verify before you pay', including checking the amount and receiver before you enter any PIN. It cannot see a card machine or stop a swipe in a shop. It can help you pause on message links or QR codes that follow a bad experience, so you do not fall into a second scam during the refund hunt.

Full guide: POS Machine Swipe Trick Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: fake app, SMS.

Questions