Assistant Superintendent of Police Curtis Julien told a news conference that scammers have now resorted to using point-of-sale machines in business places rather than automated teller machines (ATM) to get cash from unsuspecting customers.

Julien said the process requires the use of a skimming device which records information from a customer's card and that the data is used later to withdraw cash from the person's account.

The senior police officer said that while in some instances the cashier may not necessarily be aware that the machine is recording the customer's card information, business owners may be involved as the point-of-sale machines may be rigged to record and store information.

“Properly issued machines in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean when tampered with will also process your transaction, capturing your pin and your financial data which goes directly to the card reader where they process the information using a laptop, cellphone or any device with a Bluetooth mechanism,” Julien said.

Acting Inspector Cornelius Samuel said while there have been no reports of romance scams in Trinidad and Tobago, it is a common tactic used by criminals in other parts of the world and it won't hurt if the public is aware of this type of online fraud sothey can be alert.

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