Noonsite has received the following report from the skipper of a yacht currently in Antigua:

Please be aware that we have had our credit cards duplicated via an ATM machine in either ST BARTS or ANTIGUA. The result of this being that five different credit cards have been maxed out via ATM withdrawals in RUSSIA.

I have so far heard that other five crew have been similarly affected but it seems to be getting worse. The theory behind it is that the actual card reader on the ATM has a small device connected to it that reads and saves your information. From there someone else duplicates your card and draws on your account. I hope this message gets out and prevents other crews from going through this. You have been warned!

Noonsite comment: anyone using ATMs not just in the Caribbean but anywhere in the world should be very careful. One of the best protections is to try and use an ATM located inside a bank building, which is more difficult to be accessed by fraudsters, than an ATM located in the street. Similarly, never lose sight of your credit or debit card when making a payment as there have been cases in the Caribbean of cards being copied and duplicated while the owner was not looking.