ATM Banking: The Golden Rule and How To Spot a Hacked Machine
Card trapping, skimming, swopping, and ATM shoulder surfing – the methods criminals use to hack ATMs are ever-changing and often it’s hard to keep up with the technical terminology. Although the list is never-ending, you don’t have to be a tech guru to spot a dodgy ATM. Follow our 4 simple ATM safety tips and save yourself big time:
1. Location, Location, Location
Choose the ATM you use as carefully as you chose your bank. Is the ATM securely locked in a building at night? Or is it completely unguarded, out in the open, or tucked away in a dark corner? The location of an ATM matters because if it is secured it’s less likely to be tampered with.
2. Spot the Skimmer
A skimming device scans the card and captures all the information stored in the magnetic strip. The device can take many forms and is often designed to fit the specific ATM’s shape. The below video shows how card skimmers are easily installed and just how undetectable they are.
The following are tell-tale signs that an ATM has been hacked:
• Tiny holes drilled into the ATM, which often contain cameras.
• Any odd protrusions, strange colour shifts between portions of the plastic, or discrepancies between the printed directions on the ATM and surrounding ATMs printed directions.
• The card reader looks out of place, damaged, imperfect, off-colour from the rest of the machine or has visible remnants of glue or other adhesive substances.
• The card reader moves drastically when jiggled or the keypad is unusually raised.
3. The Golden Rule
Fraudsters need two things before they can hack your bank account:
1. Your card’s information and,
2. Your pin.
ATMs aren’t the only place your card is at risk of skimming. During your daily shop, at your local gas station, and when you visit your favourite restaurant – the number of people you hand your card to on a daily basis is immeasurable. So, considering how often we pass our card over to others, skimming your card information is an easier task and these hackers have several methods to do so.
Getting your pin, on the other hand, is a much more difficult task and fraudsters typically resort to one of two methods:
1. Installing a pinhole camera in the ATM and,
2. “Shoulder-surfing” which, as the term suggests, involves peering over the card holder’s shoulder when they enter their pin.
This brings us to the simple yet golden rule – always cover the keypad when entering your pin.
4. Fraud Alert
The golden rule isn’t a full-proof method as hackers sometimes go the extent of replacing the entire front of the ATM or installing fake keypads that can record your pin. So, even the most observant people can fall victim to bank card fraud.
With the invention of mobile banking, many banks offer cardless banking solutions which allow you to withdraw from an ATM, using only your mobile banking app. Account holders can also set up mobile alerts to be instantly notified of any actions taken with their account and quickly block or cancel bank cards if you see suspicious activity on your account.
Have you ever been a victim of card fraud? What precautions do you now take when banking?