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Kenya faces growing threat from ATM fraud cartels

May 30, 2013

Kenswitch, a local payments switch provider in Kenya, is warning that the country might well see an increase in gangs carrying out card fraud. The company said that as other nations move to EMV, Kenya is increasingly likely to fall prey to skimming crime.

"As part of the migration to chip, criminals have moved here, but are involving Kenyans to carry out the crime," Kenswitch Managing Director George Wainaina said in a report by The Star. He also said that a large number of citizens had been forced to give up their ATM cards to armed gangs stationed at ATMs. 

In a public address, Weinaina strongly urged bankers to begin issuing EMV-enabled cards to their customers in advance of the country's target migration date of Sept. 30. "Our switches are EMV ready," he said.

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