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| Thread ID: 84537 | 2007-11-09 10:32:00 | Eftpos (magnetic cards) | Adamnz (12260) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 609832 | 2007-11-09 10:32:00 | Hi, I was using an eftpos machine today and my friend showed me that when a customers eftpos card (or any magnetic stripe card) didn't work just to swipe it backwards and the machine could read it. He also showed me that wrapping the card in a piece of plastic and swiping worked too. Could anyone explain these 'phenomena' :P to me please? Thanks |
Adamnz (12260) | ||
| 609833 | 2007-11-09 12:41:00 | maybe the plastic gives a bit of static charge, and swiping backwards may pass the card through a magnetic/electric field? most interesting... |
motorbyclist (188) | ||
| 609834 | 2007-11-09 18:21:00 | I use Eftpos at work and sometimes have to swipe customers cards backwards. And if wrapping the card in plastic dosen't I well put cellotape on the magnetic stripe which also works. :) |
Trev (427) | ||
| 609835 | 2007-11-09 18:34:00 | I have never found the swipe backwards thing to work very well. I do however have a small plastic bag next to the eftpos machine and seem to use it nearly everyday, it works a treat. As for cellotape, I thought it was always told it is a big no no to use cellotape on the magnetic strip? Did anyone ever see the Myth busters episode where they tried to erase a card? Took a very big magnet to do this. |
miknz (3731) | ||
| 609836 | 2007-11-09 19:05:00 | I do hope this is not like the "Aluminium powder" thread. | Sweep (90) | ||
| 609837 | 2007-11-09 19:47:00 | Sounds like the freeze your HDD to me. I had a rather battered card that wouldn't swipe on occasion - you just give it another go. Backwards or not. I doubt the direction matters. |
pctek (84) | ||
| 609838 | 2007-11-09 21:37:00 | Or swipe it slower or faster. But only a little bit. | bob_doe_nz (92) | ||
| 609839 | 2007-11-10 00:41:00 | the bag changes the gap between the card and the reader and so changes the input the the reader. | robsonde (120) | ||
| 609840 | 2007-11-10 03:56:00 | Rather than fiddle about with swiping it backwards or wrapping it in a plastic bag, the shop should try cleaning the reader mechanism in the EFTPOS machine . I can almost 100% guarantee that the same customer's card that 'needs' this type of remedial action, would work just fine in an ATM, but so many shop-keepers either don't know or don't care that even EFTPOS machines need regular servicing . :groan: :groan: When you think about it, the EFTPOS machines at Woollies or Foodtown or Pak n Save would see hundreds of swipes daily, from cards that sit in wallets and handbags with all kinds of rubbish sitting alongside . . . . That dirt transfers to the EFTPOS machine, gunging up the works . |
johcar (6283) | ||
| 609841 | 2007-11-11 03:55:00 | Shouldn't the ATM also end up full of crud as well then? | Agent_24 (57) | ||
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