Skimming – A New Credit Card Scam Targets ATM’s

A new credit card scam called skimming is targeting people using ATM’s and it has become a big problem in Europe and South America. There are certain ways a criminal might follows to steal your credit card information.

A thief will put a device over the card slot without altering the machine’s appearance. So when you put in your card, the data from the card’s magnetic strip will be stolen.

Sometimes a small camera will be hidden on or near the machine to read your pin number. The thief might also place a fake keypad on top of the new one to record your pin as you enter it.

How to avoid?

• Keep an eye out for loose card slots or glue residue on the machine.
• Shield the keypad when entering your pin.
• It is always suggested to check your accounts every day.
• Running your debit card as credit card might also offer you some protection.
• Use ATM’s at bank locations since rigging is more likely to happen in isolated locations. 

Inform your bank immediately if you have fallen victim to skimming. Also file a complaint with police both in your home town and the location where the transaction happened.

ATM scam

A team of well thought-out criminals is installing equipment on rightful bank ATMs to steal both ATM card number and PIN. The team sits nearby in a car receiving information transmitted wirelessly over weekends from equipment they install on the front of the ATM. If you see an attachment, do not use ATM and report it directly to the bank or phone on the front of ATM.

The equipment used to detain your ATM card number and PIN is skillfully concealed to look like normal ATM equipment. A skimmer is mounted to the front of normal ATM card slot that reads the ATM card number and transmits it to the criminals sitting in a nearby car. A wireless camera is disguised to look like a leaflet holder and is in a position to view ATM PIN entries.

The thieves copy the cards and use PIN numbers to extract thousands from numerous accounts in a very short time directly from ATM.
Beware of ATM scams.