The first thing that could criminals access to your card, is if they have possession of it. Never lose sight of your card. If your card is not where you are used to keeping it, alarm bells should begin to ring. If you are in doubt, see number 7 below.

 Avoid using your ATM cards at filling stations, Some hotels, Cafes. Basically, places where the POS could be compromised. I was in Abuja the other day. I did a transaction and the guy asked me to pay with a POS. As my bank was not far away, I told him to wait. I took a cab to my nearest bank. Withdrew the money and brought it to him. The guy laughed and told me na wa o. Morale of the story is that, do not expose your card to transactions that could lead to fraud/Scam

 If you transact frequently online, possibility of your card details getting into the wrong hands is high. There are measures designed to minimize fraudulent transactions online. Please go to your bank and register. If you have A master card enroll in the MasterCard secure code. If you use Visa, enroll in Verified by Visa. No one would be able to carry out online transactions unless they can bypass these security measures.

 It has been shown that, criminals have the ability to change the keyboard and the ATM card slots on ATM machines. The goal is to skim any card data that is used in those machines. To avoid possibilities of your card

 Most cards are password protected anyway. But this is not enough. A thief could simply use some techniques like cameras, giraffe spying to see your password. Always make sure that when keying in password, ensure that you shield the keys as much as possible. Someone could be spying. Even the person on the counter could try to spy.

 If you pay by POS in Restaurant, Hotel, etc, always pay attention to what is going on. If the person collects your card and attempts to swipe himself, I will advice you not to give. Even so, when they take the card and vanish out of sight. Your card details could be skimmed.

If you suspect your card has been compromised, Take the following steps to minimize risks:

 Do not wait to confirm whether it is a bank error. Your ability to recover your money depends on how quickly you submit a report

 If you see any suspicious/unknown transactions, the first reaction would be to have your card blocked immediately. There is no reason to wait for your bank to confirm whether it is real or network error. The more you wait, the more the possibilities of losing your money. See one of the posts referenced above.

 If you have access to online banking facilities, immediately log in to check and cross check your debit alerts. This could help throw some light on the situation

 Proceed to make a police report. Explain clearly what happened. Provide a much details as possible to enable the police undertake investigation

 You are your own bank with your ATM cards. Don't be Complacent!

 Share and pass on the message. Could help someone in this dry season.