So, I unfotunately discovered tonight that I have been victim of card fraud with my Swiss Maestro Card having been cloned and then used to withdraw 3000CHF. This happened to me yesterday in Zurich and I suspect it was after purchasing at a major electrical store as that is the only time I had used this account recently. Now I am a serious paranoid android so am very careful with cards and entering pin numbers etc. and certainly have never let my card out of my sight; that, coupled with the fact that the fraudulent transactions took place in the Philippines leads me to believe it is an organised group. I am sooooo cross as this is the first time that this has ever happened to me and in Zurich (allegedly a safe city) of all places!!

Speaking to the police, apparently, there is a spate of this happening at the moment so do be extra vigilant and perhaps check your online account for any unusual activity.

I don't know if this has happened to anyone else here in Switzerland (I sincerely hope not), but do people know how the Swiss banks handle this? If it were the UK then I would know that I would get the money back from the bank, but is it the same here? I have called my bank and blocked the account etc. but they have already told me that I have to speak to a fraud specialist for this information (only available between 10.00 - 14.00 Tues to Thursday likely!!!) which is making me very nervous about whether I'll get my cash back. Like most people, I can't afford to lose 3000CHF

Just as an update to this. The Swiss bank will refund the money provided I have a police report on the incident - so that's a relief.

They have also confirmed that the card was skimmed at a ticket machine in ZH Haupbahnhoff and that there is apparently a lot of this happening with cards in railway stations in Zurich at the moment, so you may want to use cash instead...

Glad it all worked out well for you regarding the refund. That must be big relief.

Also, thanks for the heads up on ticket machines at Zurich HB.

Cheers

A ticket machine in Basel SBB was modified to skim cards a few months ago I believe, based on threads I read on here.

So take care with all public transport machines which take credit cards, not just in shops and at cash machines.

I had a similar incident happen that was even more organised. I applied for a credit card. After waiting over a month for it to arrive I began to worry that maybe I had dropped some post or something. Eventually, a month and a half after applying I received a credit card bill for over Fr. 1000. This was strange, so I called and cancelled the card and was also made to deal with the fraud department of the bank explaining that it was impossible that I could get a bill when I didnt even receive a card or pin in the mail.

I also had to do a police report and at the station they told me its something that has been happening since about 2010 and they reckon who ever is behind it has an inside man at the post office because it has only been happening to people getting new credit cards. I got the money back thankfully, but if this had been back home, I shudder to think.

There's been quite a lot of such cases, even in rural villages. I believe even at a Migros restaurant or supermarket a machine was manipulated.

Through the widespread press reports about this and threads on here I've definitely become aware of the problem. I mostly draw money from a cash machine within my company. If I have to use another one, I'll always have a good pull at the slot and try lifting up the numbers and have a good look at how the front is fixed on to the wall and always cover my hand.
For the SBB machines I always use my REKA card.

I think I read a few months back that there's talk of doing away with the magnet strip as it's not required within Europe and that there's efforts to get the countries who still use the magnet rather than the chip to change their methods. I also think there was talk of being able to block your card from certain countries. I could be wrong though

There is better security at cash machines inside banks, as there are TV security cameras watching customers, and thieves will not want to be seen manipulating the cash points.

There have been lots of warnings about this trick, in all the newspapers for the past 18 months. The manipulated cash point has a mini camera fitted above the PIN key pad, it visibly records the card number as you put the card into the slot, and your PIN number as you type the numbers. Good advice is to cover the pin pad with your hand, and look sideways underneath when typing the PIN.

Another trick at all automatic machines and cash points, they block the refunded paper money slot. The criminals wait and watch the machine until someone puts a "bad" note into the machine. The machine rejects the note but the outlet is blocked with a piece of clear sticky film (Scotch, Sellotape). After waiting a while, the victim leaves and looks for another machine. The thief then removes the tape and gets the rejected note. If this happens to you, try and report the problem, without leaving the machine. Or look for scotch tape across the refund outlet. This has been a common trick for at least 12 years, maybe not as well known as people don't usually report losing CHF 20 in a ticket machine.

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Similar thing happened to my boyfriend. We were on the holidays abroad when he noticed that there is some cash missing on this account. Fortunately the bank immediately blocked the card and not all money was stolen. We found out that cash was taken in Kuwait. Money was given back by bank after reporting it to police. It appeared that card was scanned in ticket machine in Lausanne.

Sorry to hear that other people have had similar experiences. It really does go to show that we should never be complacent about these things and that even 'safe' countries like Switzerland still have their fair share of organised crime.

I know that I am going to be super vigilant in the future...

i ahve now the reflex of checking the slot reader where you insert the card. I try to see if it's well fixed or it has been covered by a fake one. Don't know if it helps but so far no problems...xing fingers.

I'm just wondering how long we will wait until the banks here put the anti-tamper devices on the card slot... like the ones we've had at home for two or three years...