First National Bank (FNB) Zambia has acknowledged that debit card fraud continues to escalate and is affecting thousands of its customers in the country.

The bank said buying goods online or at retailer's Point of Sale (POS) is cheaper for its customers, but that there was need to educate and sensitise the public on preventing card fraud.

Zambia's banking sector has been particularly hard hit by cybercrime in the midst of reports detailing the theft of millions of dollars of customer money from banks and automated teller machines (ATMs).

Like many other banks in Zambia, FNB has also been the target of cybercrime. Zambia's police lay the blame at the feet of foreigners who are accused of being behind the theft of money from banks and the training of Zambians on cybercrime.

Head of Enterprise Risk at FNB Zambia Mako Ndumba said at a media briefing in Lusaka that there has been an extremely strong growth in consumer card usage in Zambia, transaction volumes of up to 78% when compared to a year ago, but that there was need to educate consumers with tips on how to prevent card fraud.

"PIN security is the strongest single defence against card fraud. As long as your PIN remains a secret, nobody can use your card at a retail POS. But when you give your PIN number to a family member, you have lost all the confidentiality and should change your number at our branches, ATMs or FNB online as soon as possible," Ndumba said.

From FNB prospective, skimming and cloning also remain some of the biggest threats to consumers.