It is the financial institutions who are the first and main point of contact for these types of offences.
The first and most important step to take is to contact your bank/credit card company and advise them of the transactions.
The bank/credit card company will investigate the matter and where appropriate inform the police.
Skimming or cloning cards is when the details of your card from the magnetic strip are put onto a blank card and then the card is used without your knowledge or permission.
Always guard your card as you would with cash. Most larger stores and businesses now do not display the whole of your card number on the receipt making it harder to clone your credit card. Do not let the card out of your sight during a transaction. Some unscrupulous business will clone your card and use it before you even know about it.
When discarding your receipts, make sure that you shred them. Do not disclose your PIN number to anyone even if they say they are from the bank, police or a reputable business. No one but you needs to know your PIN.
You should first contact your bank or credit card company and report the loss to them. They will then advise you to contact Police Scotland (dial 101) to report the loss and get a lost property number.
It is imperative that you report the matter to the bank first, as the card needs to be stopped so that it is not used. In theory, the most you will have to pay if your card is used without your knowledge from being lost is £50, although this may vary from bank to bank. However, if you were negligent then it may be that you will be liable for all the losses.
Many banks and credit card companies offer Credit Card Protection schemes which means for a relatively modest fee you only need to report the loss to one company and they will notify all other credit card companies and banks on your behalf
