19 March,2009 08:28 AM IST | | Imran Gowhar
A slight delay in reporting the loss of credit card cost a homemaker Rs 78,000.
Swetha R misplaced her purse on her way home after buying vegetables, and realised only when she reached homeu00a0 in Cox Town. Initially she was reluctant to complain to the police thinking that there was only a small change of Rs 300.
However, only when her husband called her to tell her that she had taken his credit card the previous day and had not returned it,u00a0 she immediately called the bank. Unfortunately, the bank told her a transaction of Rs 78,000 had been made a few minutes before her call.
Little hope
Swetha lodged a complaint at the Frazer Town police station.u00a0 However, the police said that a only in a quarter of such reported casesu00a0 are items recovered as those who stealu00a0 credit cards purchase goods such as clothes, shoes and perfumes, goggles, fuel, beer which cannot be returned to the owner.
The police also say there is a credit card fraud racket rampant in the city as thugs swipe the cards at petrol pumps and share the amount with the petrol pump owners.
