Card Skimmers Still Found On Bank Lobby Card Readers

Alert Consumerist readers know to check ATM card readers for signs of skimmer attachments, PIN pad capture devices, and video cameras to avoid having ATM skimmer crooks drain your bank account. Yet these nefarious devices aren’t just found on cash machines and payment kiosks: some banks use magnetic card readers to protect ATM access after hours, and these can hold skimmers, too.

Four years ago, we shared with you the news that some creative ATM scamsters had placed skimmers on the card readers next to bank doors. Yes, someone else is still at it: here’s a brilliant system that features a card reader that fits over the existing card reader next to the door. Krebs on Security, global repository of skimmer lore, showed off the latest model found on a door.

(Krebs on Security)

Here’s the card reader on the door. Looks legit enough, doesn’t it? Yet here’s the back of that device, sticky tape on the back and all.

Once they’ve captured your card number from the door, you might have a false sense of security inside the bank lobby. Nope: the other essential part of a skimmer scheme, the video camera capturing bank customers’ PINs, is mounted on the ATM itself.

There’s one easy way to avoid scams like this one, including invisible skimmers hidden inside slot. Most of these card readers mounted inside the door don’t check whether the card is one from the bank or not. You can use any card with a magnetic stripe: it could be a store loyalty card or an expired credit card.

Door Skimmer + Hidden Camera = Profit [Krebs on Security]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist