ATM Scammers

FYI - walked into an ATM to get cash in Dist 1, a young girl acted like she was sleeping and woke up when I walked in.  She grabbed her cell phone to act like she was texting somebody, but no. She was activating an app that allowed her to steal the bank card information.  A few days later I get a charge from none other than little saigon in California for a fast food restaurant, not material.  I immediately reported the fraud and that was the end of it.  I got lucky they did not get any cash, but I am sure they tried, but I am lucky that my financial institutions risk program is outstanding. 

Word of caution, if you go to an atm, make sure nobody is around or close to you, especially if they are using their cell phone.   Believe it or not, this happened to me in the USA 1 time and the bank told me that there is technology that allows these scammers to get your card information electronically and they do not even have to go the machine.  They sit close by and when you put your card in the machine, they have technology that can read the information from a short distance.  Yes, the chip has helped in this case for purchases, but I am not aware of ATM's with chip technology, yet.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2010/12/why … mers-rule/

Loads of different ways to steal the data but they all require cameras, card readers and/or physical additions to the ATM.
The old skimmers were pretty easy to spot because they were basically rubbish and looked nothing like the rest of the machine but the newer stuff is built to fit given makes of ATM and they look like part of the unit.
It's looking like the newer ones are using wireless tech to steal the data immediately, I'm guessing bluetooth rather than wifi because she was close to the machine and the lower power consumption of bluetooth means a longer battery life for the skimmer.

As there are portable machines that can be used by rogue shop assistants I tend not to use my cards in shops anymore, preferring to use a prepaid card where possible, that meaning I can limit the amount a thief can steal if they catch me out.

They can read your RFID data directly from your card (that has a chip)

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Moderated by Bhavna 7 years ago
Reason : Irrelevant
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It has been claimed the RFID data can be read directly, something I've never heard of so I researched.
The best serious site I found is here, and that seems to suggest the data grab is unlikely and the stolen data could only be used once anyway.

https://www.rfidjournal.com/blogs/experts/entry?11722

Banks have been phasing out RFID in credit cards and issuing cards containing a chip that must then be inserted into a point-of-sale reader. If you have a credit card with an RFID tag transponder in it, it is possible—but extremely unlikely—that someone could read that transponder and obtain your name, credit card number and expiration date. This is the information printed on the card. They might also get an electronic CCV code (the number printed on the back of the card).

The way an RFID-enabled card works, the CVV is reset every time it is used. If a person tried to use your card online, it would not work because the CCV in the tag would be different than the one on the card, and could only be used for a physical transaction, in which the card would be present and the tag would be interrogated. If someone cloned a chip and tried to use it, it would only work once since the CCV would not be valid after that point. This is what makes RFID cards so much more secure than magnetic-stripe cards.

So, the bottom line is this: Yes, your card could be read, but it is very unlikely. In fact, I've never seen even a single case in which this was reported. Even if it were read, no one could use it without cloning your card, which would not be easy to do—and even if they did clone your card, they could only use it once, after which it would be useles


It look like the greatest danger is still skimmers on ATMs and data stolen when you use your card in a shop where an assistant has a card reader hidden under the counter and commonly a camera aimed at the  real card reader in an attempt to capture your PIN.
The way to stop the latter is make sure your card remains in view and cover the machine when you enter your PIN.

The way to stop the latter is make sure your card remains in view and cover the machine when you enter your PIN.


:top:

Agree, that way the skimming low life wont wont get hold of your hard earnings!

Found this article that does a pretty good job of explaining how the skimmers work, including blue tooth and cell phone.  One thing I learned from the article, pull on the card reader to see if it has been replaced with the skimmer's reader.

http://www.offthegridnews.com/financial … -gas-pump/

I found a skimer on a machine here so I reported it to the bank who had absolutely no clue about it, so I reported it to the police, who also had absolutely no clue about it.
That was only a few short years ago when all this was pretty new in Asia and the vast majory of people still haven't got the first idea these things exist so it's easy meant for the criminals.
The "Tug" used to work but the new stuff is amazing, looking exactly like part of the real machine.
I stick to ATMs in shops and banks so there is far less opportininty for the nasty little toads so fit their kit.Saying that, my wife opened an acount at a bank a couple of months ago and two lads were hanging around claiming to want to open an account - they didn't move a muscle for the 30 minutes or so I was there but they did play with their phones all the time.
The security guard allowed them to stay, probably because he had no idea of the potential for a theft.