BEIJING, Sept. 23 -- Local police, together with financing institutions, launched a campaign publicising the security of bank cards during the upcoming week-long National Day holiday, on Saturday morning in Beijing.

Police gave tips to the public on possible crimes involving bank cards and warned people to be cautious about criminals stealing bank card information through high-tech means, the Beijing Evening News reported.

Large swarms of people were drawn to the publicity stand of the organiser for more preventative information; how to avoid a bank cards theft and the decryption of password information were two problems that concerned people the most, the paper said.

He Yue, an official with the Public Security Bureau said criminals were found to be stealing credit cards and acquiring users' password information by fraud during the National Day holiday last year. He added that some illegal persons have even taken to installing MP4 type reader devices beside the door of ATM's, which can record a client's bank account and password details when people swipe their cards to gain entry. He warned people to take caution and ensure their surroundings are secure when transacting deals at such places.

The police also showed the crowd how to prevent and recognise potential problems at an ATM, and distributed special cards that are easy to take along and ward off potential financial losses.

Police had the following tips for general ATM usage: check the sealed envelop that contains a new bank account password, and to ask for a change if the envelop is already open; do not set your password as a phone number or date of birth, which are easy to be decrypted; the receipt from an ATM machine should be properly disposed; check whether there are extra devices like a camera around when operating an ATM machine and check your bank card when using it for payment in public, in case it has been changed by others.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)