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A skimmer is a device designed to steal information about a bank card. To use your card, cybercriminals will also need your PIN-code, which can be obtained by using a patch keyboard or a portable video camera. The skimmer may also contain a low-power transmitter that sends the received map information to a nearby receiver, such as a nearby car.
How it works
After you insert the card into the ATM, the skimmer receives data from the magnetic stripe of your card, just like a card reader in an ATM does. In the case when a patch keyboard is used, after you enter the PIN-code, it will be transmitted to the fraudsters. If a portable video camera is used, which is less common, the intruders will receive a video recording of how you entered the PIN-code, from which it is not difficult to determine it. After that, you can make a duplicate of your bank card and withdraw all the money from it.
How to recognize a skimmer. Advice.
There are several signs by which one can determine the presence of the skimmer on the ATM:
Appearance
Externally, the skimmer is the easiest to detect. If you often use ATMs, you will definitely notice that there is some kind of device on the card insertion slot.
If you suspect a skimmer is present, try jerking or loosening it. Since this device is removable, you will most likely be able to remove it from the ATM case.
The keyboard is usually flush with the plane of the ATM, so the overlay keyboard will protrude from the ATM case, especially if the attackers tried to make it look real. Perhaps the thinner keyboard will be glued on and is about the same level as the original one. But even in this case, it will be given out by a plastic surface, which is easy to determine by touching it.
The camera is the most difficult to hide. For this, various attachments can be used. Therefore, before inserting the card into the ATM, make sure that there are no different boxes and non-standard projections on the inside of the ATM case, and when entering the PIN code, cover the keyboard with your hand.
Functionality Issues
There are two types of skimmers: those that interfere with the operation of the ATM, and those that do not. In the first case, it is very easy to find out about the presence of the skimmer: after you insert the card, nothing happens - neither the change of the greeting on the screen, nor the request for the PIN-code. In the second case, the skimmer is installed so as not to interfere with operations with the ATM, so you should only rely on external signs of the presence of a skimmer.
Changing instructions for using an ATM
At ATMs, instructions for withdrawing money are standard: insert the card into the slot, wait for the code request and follow the instructions on the screen. If the instructions contain phrases like “forcefully insert the card”, “press the card” or “without waiting for the invitation, enter the PIN-code”, then a skimmer is installed at the ATM, and in order to obtain information about the card, the attackers will need your help.
If it seems to you that a skimmer is installed at the ATM, immediately call the bank at the phone number indicated on your card.
How it works
After you insert the card into the ATM, the skimmer receives data from the magnetic stripe of your card, just like a card reader in an ATM does. In the case when a patch keyboard is used, after you enter the PIN-code, it will be transmitted to the fraudsters. If a portable video camera is used, which is less common, the intruders will receive a video recording of how you entered the PIN-code, from which it is not difficult to determine it. After that, you can make a duplicate of your bank card and withdraw all the money from it.
How to recognize a skimmer. Advice.
There are several signs by which one can determine the presence of the skimmer on the ATM:
Appearance
Externally, the skimmer is the easiest to detect. If you often use ATMs, you will definitely notice that there is some kind of device on the card insertion slot.
If you suspect a skimmer is present, try jerking or loosening it. Since this device is removable, you will most likely be able to remove it from the ATM case.
The keyboard is usually flush with the plane of the ATM, so the overlay keyboard will protrude from the ATM case, especially if the attackers tried to make it look real. Perhaps the thinner keyboard will be glued on and is about the same level as the original one. But even in this case, it will be given out by a plastic surface, which is easy to determine by touching it.
The camera is the most difficult to hide. For this, various attachments can be used. Therefore, before inserting the card into the ATM, make sure that there are no different boxes and non-standard projections on the inside of the ATM case, and when entering the PIN code, cover the keyboard with your hand.
Functionality Issues
There are two types of skimmers: those that interfere with the operation of the ATM, and those that do not. In the first case, it is very easy to find out about the presence of the skimmer: after you insert the card, nothing happens - neither the change of the greeting on the screen, nor the request for the PIN-code. In the second case, the skimmer is installed so as not to interfere with operations with the ATM, so you should only rely on external signs of the presence of a skimmer.
Changing instructions for using an ATM
At ATMs, instructions for withdrawing money are standard: insert the card into the slot, wait for the code request and follow the instructions on the screen. If the instructions contain phrases like “forcefully insert the card”, “press the card” or “without waiting for the invitation, enter the PIN-code”, then a skimmer is installed at the ATM, and in order to obtain information about the card, the attackers will need your help.
If it seems to you that a skimmer is installed at the ATM, immediately call the bank at the phone number indicated on your card.
