Risk of bringing plastic cards through UK customs -- you sure you want to go via London!!!

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

Date: Sat, 19 Mar 94 14:01:09 +0000
From: Ross Anderson <Ross.Anderson () cl cam ac uk>
Subject: Risk of bringing plastic cards through UK customs


UK customs officers have just been issued by the banking industry with magnetic
card readers. The idea is that they will check suspects' plastic cards to make
sure that the magnetic strip details tie up with those embossed on the card
face. This is reported in a recent issue of `Banking Technology'.


Not only are faults in magnetic strips fairly common, but poor maintenance of
card readers has caused problems in the past. I have advised one man in the USA
who is suing his bank after being arrested for altering the magnetic strip on
his credit card. It turned out that he had not done this; the read head in the
merchant terminal was probably misaligned, but in any case there was an alarm
from the bank which the police took at face value. In the event, it took him
about a year to slog through the banks' denials, get access to the card and
have it tested by VISA to prove his innocence.


The risk to travellers is that some defect, whether in your card or in the
customs man's reader, could get you arrested for fraud. If you are not resident
in the UK, the courts might well refuse bail and keep you in jail for a year or
more awaiting trial. If you are lucky, the Home Office might just deport you;
but even this might be serious if you have relatives or other interests here.


Ross Anderson   Cambridge University Computer Lab   rja14 () cl cam ac uk


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