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Advisory: Nassau


Lexster

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Hey, all we just got back from Oasis OTS and Nassau was one of our stops. We were only off the ship for maybe 30 minutes before getting back on, but in that time, my husband's debit card number was stolen. The very next day, he got an alert of suspicious activity on his card. He never even used it. It stayed in his wallet the entire time, so be aware that there must be folks with portable card skimmers walking around the area right off the port since we only went maybe a block or two away from the cruise port before getting back on the ship. My advice would be to leave any cards on the ship and only carry cash if you plan on looking in the shops at all. Also keep your money in your front pocket since it's harder to pick-pocket. We were also offered "some lines" from a random guy on the street, so be aware of that as well. Some people are not shy about offering illicit stuff even with police a half a block away.

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Yes, it's possible someone in Nassau was close enough to read the card with an RFID reader.  But it could just be a coincidence that your husband's debit card had suspicious activity that day.  My wife hasn't used her debit card in almost a year and she doesn't even carry it in her wallet.  Still just last month, we were contacted by the bank due to a flagged transaction.  Did someone steal her card info many months ago and wait until recently to try using it?  Maybe.  More likely, a scammer just used an automated script that keeps trying random card numbers and random pin numbers and they happened to hit on her digits.

I would agree that taking your entire wallet off the ship is not the safest option.  Carry only what you need which is probably just a little cash, 1 credit card, and an ID.

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On 5/16/2022 at 11:13 AM, Atlantix2000 said:

Yes, it's possible someone in Nassau was close enough to read the card with an RFID reader.  But it could just be a coincidence that your husband's debit card had suspicious activity that day.  My wife hasn't used her debit card in almost a year and she doesn't even carry it in her wallet.  Still just last month, we were contacted by the bank due to a flagged transaction.  Did someone steal her card info many months ago and wait until recently to try using it?  Maybe.  More likely, a scammer just used an automated script that keeps trying random card numbers and random pin numbers and they happened to hit on her digits.

I would agree that taking your entire wallet off the ship is not the safest option.  Carry only what you need which is probably just a little cash, 1 credit card, and an ID.

I'd find it very unlikely that someone randomly guessed his number on the one day we got off the ship in a port with his wallet. All the thief bought was $300 worth of steam stuff. Not saying it's impossible, but I think it more probable that it happened in port.

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10 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

RFID skimming of credit cards by proximity is extremely rare and newer cards can't even be skimmed like that.

I'm aware it is rare, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Newer cards absolutely can be skimmed. There are numerous devices out there which basically act like portable payment terminals. Square is an example. All they need is to brush up against your wallet and they have your card number. We literally didn't use the card the entire trip, so there's nowhere else it could have happened.

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9 minutes ago, Lexster said:

I'm aware it is rare, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. Newer cards absolutely can be skimmed. There are numerous devices out there which basically act like portable payment terminals. Square is an example. All they need is to brush up against your wallet and they have your card number. We literally didn't use the card the entire trip, so there's nowhere else it could have happened.

Right, but those aren't proximity scans like someone standing close to you.  Square you have to physically scan the card, not just get close and use RFID.

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19 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Right, but those aren't proximity scans like someone standing close to you.  Square you have to physically scan the card, not just get close and use RFID.

I don't mean to argue, but that's simply not correct. Square has tap-to-pay terminals. Also, I literally just downloaded an app called NFC Credit Card Reader on the Google Play Store and was able to skim my own debit card. It shows my card number and the expiration date. These things are easily done.

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