Be sure and check your bank balance daily upon return!!

[wrtiii]

Isn't there a "real" bank in the downtown area? Couldn't one go inside the bank and use their service inside? If that's possible, I seriously doubt one would encounter issues inside the bank.

Scotia Bank is a real bank, and yes, you can go inside during banking hours and use an indoor ATM. That's certainly the safest.

Interestingly, all the fraudulent withdrawals were taken at Bank of Nova Scotia - which (at least in Negril) charges a fee, which adds to the transaction time. They must have a way to override the machines to withdraw so quickly.

Lola, if they skimmed your credit card, they are using equipment (easy to buy) that reads the stripe on your card; probably a camera to get your PIN; and a machine to produce duplicate cards. Then they can simply produce several duplicate cards and send them out with accomplices who use them on schedule wherever they want, so as to get a bunch of transactions done before the account is closed. Not especially sophisticated.

I would say never to use a private ATM, and to be very suspicious in using any outside of a bank - including the walk-up ones outside a bank.