Tech and Cybersecurity: The Crime of Skimming

By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

January 20, 2023 – ATMs are a place of increased vigilance for most people, outside they pay attention to their surroundings and any suspicious individuals as they go in and leave quickly and safely but many never look for threats inside.   An especially dangerous threat that can come from  ATMs themselves is called Skimming.

According to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation Skimming occurs when devices illegally installed on ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture data or record cardholders’ PINs.

This data can then be used to create an illegal duplicate of your card that actually works and can be used to drain your accounts.

More common in The Caribbean than Fuel pump skimmers are ATM and Point of Sale (POS) Skimmers.

ATM skimmers are usually glued on over the original card reader to stall card information.  Pinhole camera and keyboard overlays are also used to catch people inputting their PIN numbers.  These devices usually mirror what the ATM is supposed to look like very well and may not be visible at first glance

As for POS skimming there have been instances where POS machines have been replaced with fake ones.

There are several precautions you can take in order to avoid any skimming plots.

• Avoid non-bank ATMs if you can, as bank owned ATMs tend to be harder for criminals to gain access to. Your best bet is an ATM that is both bank owned and physically attached to a bank branch.
• Use machines that are in public view making them less likely to be tampered with.
• Pay attention to the machine. If something looks crooked, words on the screen are mis-aligned, a part of the machine looks newer or different in color, skip that one and go elsewhere.
• Pull at the edges of the keypad before entering your PIN. You should also cover the keypad when you enter your PIN.
• Try to use your credit card in areas that you might not trust or when you go on trips.

Always be vigilant in and outside of ATMs to keep your hard earned cash as safe as possible.