Credit Card Skimming in Antigua

We just arrived home for our 3 week stay in Guatemala and let me just say we LOVED it. The country is a fantastic place to visit and we miss it already.

I wanted to post a small heads up to people headed to Antigua. I ended up having my credit card skimmed somewhere along the way in Antigua and found a whole bunch of fraudulent charges on my card from casino's and fast food spots in GC. I still had my card in my physical possession, so the thiefs must have imprinted my information on another card and started using it immediately. I quickly had the card turned off with the card company and had the charges reversed. I can't narrow down where it might have happened at to smaller than 8-9 businesses and I am not willing to smear all of them hoping to nail the one who did it. All I can suggest it you keep a close eye on your account online so you can nip something like this in the bud before too many charges rack up.

PLEASE don't let this post dissuade you in any way from visiting Guatemala. The place is fantastic and you will not be disappointed. Just keep your wits about you and watch your account to make sure you are protected. Happy Travels!

Heading south tomorrow - we don't usually use a charge card but thanks for the heads up.

Well at least they had some fun with it!

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Credit cards and use of ATM machines have long been a problem. I use American Express travelers checks and cash them at banks that have a sign in the window that they sell them.

I can't believe this still happens in Antigua...we were there 2010/11 4 nights total and didn't have any issues, but only used a ATM that was recommended at the time...

Thanks for the post...

I still think we lose sight of the fact that this is WHY we use plastic- because as long as you have not compromised the card (i.e. revealed the PIN) then its not your problem. Quick telephone call, charges reversed, job done, on we go. We have let the card companies try to make us scared that we are to blame/liable when originally the fact that we are fully protected was how they sold us the cards in the first place!

Many times though this fraud will result in having the card cancelled, and a new one sent to you, but that presents a major issue, as the card issuers usually will only send a replacement card to the billing address, making travel onward for the remainder of the vacation a pain in the arse, as getting a Fed Ex in CA is not as easy as one would think...

But I agree, the charges are not a big deal, as the card user is protected in most situations.

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Yeah, sounds like an old-fashioned bad guy in a hotel or restaurant made an imprint and went to town (literally).

I've been using ATMs across the country for the last few months with no issues. Still kind of traumatized by that one in Antigua though, never going near it again.

Third world. Cash from ATM inside bank. Spend cash.

I don't like to burden with banks and ATMs when I'm on vacation so I use entirely US cash when I travel with credit cards cash advances at bank for back up. I realize the chargings are reversed but don't care for "keep a close eye on your account online" any more than dependency on the vagaries of ATM machinery.

You don't like to use banks so you... use banks? Right. US cash is fine for traveling in the US and a few other countries, but not in Guatemala. The country uses Quetzales.

ATMs are by far the most convenient and most secure way of getting cash out while traveling. No need to go "inside bank" – in fact, the most notorious BAC ATM in Antigua WAS in a bank, guarded by a bored looking guy with a shotgun. At least several hundred people were ripped off by it. In general, the big main companies – 5B and BI – are fine and reliable. Just use the ATMs wherever you find them: in Atitlan for example, there are a few in Pana, two in San Pedro, one in San Juan. They're all fine.

I think some people really aren't getting the basic concept here... it was not related to ATM fraud. Someone made a copy of a credit card and then used it. Different type of fraud, different result.

#10, you're aware that ATM fraud is also rampant in the "first world," including the US, Europe, and Canada? Come on, it's 2014 here. Love it or leave it.

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For me a far greater "burden" would be knowing I'm loaded with all my holiday cash. In that case there is any number of things to "keep a close eye on"!. Each to their own but if you lose a big wad of cash you should suck it up and not even report it- because you'll get sick of everybody saying "but why did you have a load of cash on you in the first place?!". Write it off as an 'Idiot Tax'....

My thought was if the ATM has been tampered with a skimmer it most likely going to be one that is not inside the bank where someone tampering with the machine could be spotted by the obligatory bored guard. In theory there should be more security in the bank. And yes I know the notorious ATM problems in Antigua where a true "inside" job but I think that these occurrences are an exception. You can buy the skimmers online for krips sake.

And as far as the spirit of the original post, I am comfortable using my debit/credit card anywhere and everywhere when I am in the U.S. and never had a problem but I am reluctant to use it most places in CA when I know for a fact the undeniable strong culture of thievery has produced every credit card scam known to year 2014 man. Call me paranoid but the cash is simple, straight forward and positive.(and mostly preferred)

Cash is preferred and usually a discount is given for using cash I would add.
Love it or level it.

I'm all for using cash- but I just use an ATM to go and get the cash!

No #13, there are no ATMs from San Pablo to Santa Cruz. Which is both annoying and... kinda nice.

#15, that's exactly the kind of erroneous thinking that got a lot of people – including myself – stung during the dark days. It turns out that it had nothing to do with a skimmer, but someone who had internal access (probably inside the bank) to the data flow. Luckily it seems like they've put that one to bed, but it wasn't a physical means of theft, and often isn't. Of course cash is preferred in Guatemala, but lugging around a few thousand dollars in Quetzales really isn't ideal. Most places do not accept US dollars, though they'll probably be very gawk at them.

"A strong culture of thievery" in Central America (ahem) which doesn't exist in the US and Canada and where nobody ever steals? Uh...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/09/atm-fraud_n_3248331.html
http://krebsonsecurity.com/tag/atm-skimmer/
http://www.11alive.com/story/news/crime/2014/03/25/atm-skimming-debit-cards-secret-service/6875669/

(yes, that last one says "ATM skimming rampant in Atlanta," dated this year... it is in fact a far bigger problem in the "first world" than it is in Central America which doesn't rely nearly as much on ATMs as a part of their overall financial infrastructure)

I thought I might add more one thing. To each his/her own on travel and how you pay for it, but I wanted to note that it took a phone call of about 8 minutes and every charge was reversed and the card canceled. If your cash is stolen, it's gone for good. On the flip side, I did pay the small fees that someone noted for use of my credit card, so maybe it comes up sixes in the end?

Either way, I miss being in Guatemala already.