You rarely let your credit card out of your sight, so how do bad guys get your credit card information? Some may get it from a friend waiting tables at a restaurant, but many credit card thieves get your card info using a device called a Credit Card Skimmer.
A credit card skimmer is a portable capture device that is attached in front of or on top of the legitimate scanner. The skimmer passively records the card data as you insert your credit card into the real scanner.
Credit card thieves will often temporarily affix the card skimmer device to gas pumps, ATMs, or other convenient self-service point-of-sale terminals. The bad guys like gas pumps and ATMs because they are easy to retrieve their skimmers from and they generally receive a lot of traffic.
Skimmer technology has become cheaper and more sophisticated over the years. Some skimmers capture the card information using a magnetic reader and use a miniature camera to record you typing in your PIN number. Some skimmers will even go so far as to place a secondary keypad over top of the actual keypad. The secondary keypad captures your PIN number and records it while passing your input to the real keypad.
How can you detect and avoid having your credit card skimmed at the ATM or gas pump?
1. Inspect the card reader and the area near the PIN pad
Many banks and merchants realize that skimming is on the rise and will often post a picture of what the real device is supposed to look like so you will see that there is something attached that is not supposed to be there if a skimmer is present. Of course, a card skimmer could put a fake picture over the real picture so this isn't a fail-safe way to spot a skimmer.
To see what some skimmers look like check out these examples of card skimmers so you'll have an idea of what to look for.
Most skimming devices are designed to be temporarily affixed to the ATM or gas pump so they can be easily retrieved by the bad guys once they've collected a batch of cardholder data.
If you think the scanning device doesn't look like it matches the machine's color and style, it might be a skimmer.
2. Look at other nearby gas pumps or ATMs card readers to see if they match the one you are using.
Unless skimmers are running a large operation, they probably are only skimming at one gas pump at a time at the station you are using. Look at the pump next to yours to see if the card reader and setup look different. If they do then you might have just spotted a skimmer.
3. Trust your instincts. If in doubt, use another machine somewhere else.
Our brains are excellent at recognizing things that seem out of place. If you get a sense that something looks off about the ATM you are about to use, you might be better off using one that you feel more comfortable with.
4. Avoid using your PIN number at the gas pump.
When you pay at the pump with your debit/credit card, you usually
have the option to use it as a credit or a debit card. It's best to
choose the credit option that allows you to avoid entering your PIN in
sight of a Card Skimmer camera. Even if there is not a card skimmer
camera in sight someone could be watching you enter your PIN and could
subsequently mug you and take your card to the nearest ATM to withdraw
some cash.
When you use it as a credit card you usually only have to enter your
billing ZIP code as verification which is much safer than putting in
your PIN.
5. Keep an eye on your accounts
If you suspect that you might have had your card skimmed. Keep an eye
on your account balance and report any suspicious activity immediately.
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RedBox Warns of Credit Card Skimmers
An example of a RedBox machine with an illegal credit card skimmer attached. The company said several RedBox machines had been fitted with "skimmers" -- magnetic stripe reading and storage devices that can be installed over the top of existing card readers. RedBox said it found an illegal skimming device attached to one machine in Tempe, Ariz., and that it had discovered evidence of skimming at two other locations in Las Cruces, N.M.
In a notice posted on its Web site, Redbox said is not aware of any fraudulent activity or transactions using its customers' accounts, and that it is working to minimize the risk of this happening. But the company is urging customers to be vigilant for signs of tampering at any of its 7,400 Redbox locations nationwide.
An example of an approved RedBox reader.
Criminals use credit-card skimming devices to store data that can be used later for identity theft. Typically, bank ATM machines are the target of such scams. In an incident last April, a bank in Tysons Corner, Va., warned customers that thieves had installed a skimmer at an ATM, as well as a wireless camera to visually record the 4-digit PINs customers entered to withdraw cash from the machines.
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| (Also shown in the playlist above) |
Krebs on Security has come across
a "remarkably simple but brilliant POS skimming device" that crooks can
install and remove in seconds. The video above, produced by a fraudster
who sells the devices, shows his kit being retrofitted to a late-model
Verifone point-of-sale device. The whole video lasts 25 seconds.
The
piece of kit includes a tiny battery and flash storage card that
"allows the fake PIN pad to capture the key presses, and record the data
stored on the magnetic stripe of each swiped card." In other words, it
can be installed super-quickly and rip all your details. It's a crooked
store assistants dream come true.
So, the advice remains the same: if anything ever looks suspicious on a card device, just don't use it. Simple as that. [Krebs on Security]
Compiled By:
Josh Martin
Josh Martin
Sources:
Gizmodo
Gizmodo
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