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Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

Why I Always Tug on the ATM

Summary: Readers of Krebs on Security pulled on ATM parts before using them and found skimming overlays: a fake cash-dispenser bezel with a pinhole camera aimed at the PIN pad, and a vinyl-like plastic cover over the card slot hiding a circuit board that records magnetic-stripe data. Krebs notes skimmers paired with hidden cameras let thieves fabricate cards and withdraw cash, that fake green anti-skimming bezels are among the most common devices because they are cheap to mass-produce, and that one reader who found a skimmer stood by the machine for three minutes while a woman tried to insert her card into a black screen.

What you should know: The skimmer is the physical edge of a fraud chain that crosses borders: data skimmed in Europe is sold to fraudsters who encode counterfeit cards and withdraw cash at U.S. ATMs, and most U.S. machines still require the magnetic stripe to accept a card. Krebs's simplest countermeasure costs nothing - cover your hand when entering a PIN, since most skimmers depend on a hidden camera.

Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗

Topics
Data Breaches
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