ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

All About Skimming Devices Used for Stealing Card Information From Check Out Counters and ATMs

Many businesses are taking steps with one ATM company redesigning machines to prevent card skimming at ATMs.
PUBLISHED APR 29, 2024
Image Source: Photo by Alexandros Chatzidimos | Pexels
Image Source: Photo by Alexandros Chatzidimos | Pexels

The online space has emerged as a breeding ground for scammers with everything from transactions to shopping taking place in the digital realm. But now fraudsters have also started employing innovative ways to scam people in the real world, and the United States Secret Service has issued a warning to shoppers to be careful when they scan their cards at checkout. 

They highlighted the risk posed by Skimming devices that are placed on top of a card reader at a gas pump or cash register that steal customers' credit card information. Scammers then acquire the card information to commit identity theft and also to steal money from the card owner.

In Nevada alone, authorities have so far recovered 18 illegal skimmers. Apart from these, the customs of card skimming scams have come forward. 



 

“They (clients) are saying I went to spend my money this month and there's nothing there,” says Marni Whalen, Nevada Deputy Administrator of the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, via The Sun.

As per Whalen a whopping $1 million was taken from the victim's accounts. "Between July and March, we had about 1600 claims, that totaled $500 thousand in benefits that we were able to reimburse," explained Whalen. "For April, we’ve had close to 2000 claims and another $500 thousand in reimbursements just in April," he added.

Nevada Authorities also found skimmers in popular locations like ATMs, and gas pumps. As per the authorities, they got six skimmers from gas pumps, and three from ATMs, and 16 from store registers.

“Consumers are encouraged that before they use an ATM, point of sale terminal or any card reader to inspect it first,” said Special Agent, Karon Ransom. "Check for anything loose, damaged, scratched," he added.



 

As per the FBI, there are a few ways in which one can tell that the skimming dives are attached to the machines. For example, Fuel pump skimmers are usually attached to the internal wiring of the machine and aren't visible to the customer. The skimming devices store data and can be downloaded or wirelessly transferred later. FBI urges everybody to stay on stage and choose a pump that is close to the store and in direct view of the attendant. These pumps are harder to compromise and are generally safe, and the same applies to ATMs, choose the well-lit one. FBI also warns people against "keypad overlays are used instead of pinhole cameras to record PINs. Keypad overlays record a customer’s keystrokes." In these cases, it's wise to pull at the edges of the keypad before entering the pin. For more information and precautions click here, to get through the guidelines, issued by the FBI.

A Commonwealth Bank Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) at Circular Quay, Sydney Australia. Thursday 16th January 2014. Getty Images | Photo by Steve Christo
A Commonwealth Bank Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) at Circular Quay, Sydney Australia. Thursday 16th January 2014. Getty Images | Photo by Steve Christo

Many businesses are taking steps and one ATM company is redesigning machines to prevent card skimming at ATMs. The firm called Diebold Nixdorf which makes these machines for American banks, are now making machines that are more flush which is making it easier to see any cameras or unusual things attached to them.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The sharks did not expect the product to taste as good as it did, considering what it was made from.
4 hours ago
The designer was also commissioned by top brands and worked for the royal family.
5 hours ago
The host had a look of bewilderment on his face which was absolutely hilarious.
6 hours ago
Things did not seem to be going well for the entrepreneur due to her high energy.
9 hours ago
The guest might have had high expectations, but they were quickly brought down to earth.
10 hours ago
The contestant was unable to contain her excitement and hugged the model.
1 day ago
Two of the players got it right, and while the player who lost didn't mind, fans were not satisfied.
1 day ago
Lisa celebrated her birthday in style with a perfect two-card guess to win the big prize.
1 day ago
Rick Harrison did what he could to console the guest who said that he had lost faith in NASCAR.
1 day ago
Both the guest and the expert were fascinated by how well the automaton worked.
2 days ago
One of the entrepreneurs broke down in tears, explaining all the struggles they had to go through.
2 days ago
She couldn’t believe it when her doll was appraised at a five-figure sum, and laughed in disbelief.
2 days ago
Ken Jennings truly has embraced "Jeopardy!" in every way possible at this point.
2 days ago
The comedian was impressed by the simplicity of the product and amused by the pitch.
3 days ago
Harrison usually makes smart deals on the show, but this vintage car buy turned into a costly mistake.
3 days ago
Had she started the game in a better way, she might have won the five-figure prize money.
3 days ago
Barbara Corcoran made the exact same offer, and she wasn't happy about being rejected.
4 days ago
The guest believed that it was worth a modest amount of money, but that was clearly not the case.
4 days ago
With James Holzhauer in the lead, Amy Schneider and Andrew He decided to joke around.
4 days ago
Barbara Corcoran told the founders that she had never seen Greiner so passionate.
4 days ago