How ATM Card Skimmers are Advancing and How You Can Stop Them
Identity theft is on the rise and has only been increasing in the past few years. In fact, 8.1 million cases of identity theft occurred in 2010 in America, resulting in millions of dollars lost and credit destroyed, as reported on Credit Infocenter. Knowing what to look for and how you can prevent it from happening to your household will keep thieves at bay and your personal information intact.
Prevention Techniques
Consumers who make cash machines have started putting anti-skimming devices on their ATM machines. The anti-skimming devices are usually blue or green plastic casings. They stick out from the card slot and make it difficult for the thieves to attach the card skimmers. You still have to be careful if you see the anti-skimming device, as some of the scammers are now creating card skimmers with the anti-skimming device attached.
ATM by Brave Heart, on Flickr. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Take Matters Into Your Own Hands
If someone has already stolen your identity or debit card information, you can subscribe to Lifelock, a service which notifies you when someone accesses your personal financial information. You can also place a fraud alert on your credit, which requires lenders to take a couple extra steps to verify that it was you that requested a new account. If you want to use a debit card, run it as a credit — the thief won’t be able to get your PIN number. When visiting an ATM, be sure to cover your hand with your other hand as you punch in the numbers so that the little camera doesn’t catch the numbers.
If you notice a pinhole or something else about an ATM machine that doesn’t look right, be sure to notify the bank’s security and/or management; and do not use the ATM machine. If you do happen to use an ATM machine that has been compromised and you become a victim of identity theft, be sure to keep an eye on your credit for any suspicious activity.
How Thieves Get Your Card Information and PIN Number
Thieves place a card skimmer over the top of the card reader on ATMs and gas pump readers. The skimmers look just like the real thing, except they usually have a pinhole on the scanner. The pinhole allows a camera placed in the skimmer to capture your pin number as you enter it. The skimmer itself collects the card information from the magnetic strip on the card. The scammer uses the information taken from the metallic strip on the card to make a new, fraudulent card. The scammer can then access funds in your account via the PIN number, which was recorded on the small camera in the card skimmer.
Krebs On Security reports that some card skimmers are advanced enough so that they send the owner of the skimmer a text message with your information. By the time you realize that your card has be compromised, your account could be emptied. The Internet advertises card skimmers online; and some sites boast that a person can install card skimmers in less than 10 to 15 seconds.
Keeping a watchful eye on your credit and information can be the difference between being a victim of this crime and having everything protected. Investing in valuable practices, information, and identity protection will only help to keep thieves at bay.
