Many of us have been victims of "skimming", when sales staff, waiters or managers illegally skim an extra copy of our credit card.

Although the credit card companies often re-imburse us for this lost money, ultimately it costs us all --- customers and merchants alike --- by way of increased credit card fees.

But working together, we can prevent crime with OP (Operation Python) that Stops Skim Scams (SSS, pronounced with a hiss). It's easy to join OP, all you need is a camera or use your Cameraphones to

Document credit card purchases:

By photographing everyone who handles our credit cards, we're collecting potential evidence that MIGHT be of later use to law enforcement and credit card manufacturers.

SHOOT DOWN SKIMMING

Join OP and spread the word! Hand out this flyer to each of the staff that you photograph, so that they (1) know why we took their picture; and (2) hopefully they, like many others, will join OP and begin to photograph all of the people that handle their credit cards.

http://wearcam.org/wsd.htm or http://glogger.mobi

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Sousveillance:

Surveillance means:- sur (above) + viller (to watch)

Small portable recording devices have given us the growing phenomenon of Sousveillance: French "sous" (from below)= "sousveillance" = To Watch from Below.

When you join O.P., you're probably in a store, restaurant, gas station, etc., that's under surveillance. With Sousveillance, the "watching" goes both ways. One minute you yourself might be a staff member being photographed, but when you go on break to buy your lunch you become customer and take a shot at reducing crime yourself. You no longer are only watched, you can do the watching too!

December 24th --- the biggest shopping day of the year --- is World Sousveillance Day (WSD).