RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Distracted by the World Cup atmosphere, American fan Jack Smith slipped his card into an ATM in a Rio airport.
He believes the card was cloned in an instant and, over several days before he discovered it, his account was debited for $12,000, a loss he said his bank would cover.
“I’ve probably met 60 people here, and 20 have been hit,” said Smith, of Knoxville, Tennessee. “Of course these were for smaller amounts, although somebody told me they were out $6,000. But I’m scared. I won’t ever use an ATM machine here.”
It happened a few days ago, so Smith now laughs about it.
“Maybe this is a Brazilian tax of some kind I have to pay.”