With at advent of chip cards, in Mexico, scammers have
developed a new device called a “shimmer” that tries to capture the information
on the chip. The shimmer is designed to cover the ATM’s chip reader so that the
shimmer can also read the card’s chip.
In Europe, security officials have noticed the use of an “insert
skimmer” which is a wafer-thin device that fits inside the slot that you insert
your card into. Insert skimmers are much harder to detect.
The scammer may have your account information, but without
the PIN number he cannot get into your account. An easy way for the scammer to
get that information is to hide a pinhole camera near the ATM’s keypad. They
get clever by placing the pinhole cameras on a false panel above the keypad, beside
the keypad, behind convex mirrors, or even false fire alarms.
AARP’s Fraud Watch Network recommends that when you are at
an ATM:
·
Examine the ATM before entering your card. Look
for parts that have different colors than the rest of the machine. Look for
unusual equipment at the mouth, keypad, sides or overhead. Wiggle the slot. If
it is not securely attached, go to another ATM.
·
If you see an out-of-service message, go to
another location. In one scam, out-of-order signs were placed on ATM’s to steer
victims to a compromised ATM.
·
Before inserting your card, try several keys
such as “enter,” cancel,” and “clear.” A sticky keypad could be a ruse to
prevent you from completing your transaction. When you leave to complain about
the problem, a fraudster can come up to the machine and complete your
transaction to withdraw cash.
·
Always cover the keypad as you enter your PIN!
By protecting your PIN in this way, if a scammer does get your account number,
he will not have your PIN to get into your account.
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