The other thought about plastic was: Once you leave the country and have a secure Net connection - log on to your accounts and check activity. Had I have done that, I would have found out a week earlier. That said, it was in the days before easy online access to card accounts. I only knew when my card was refused as they had soaked up the credit limit! AmEx were fine and I got it all back and a new card very quickly. With hindsight, I was able to give them exact details of the moment when the card was cloned.