ATM machines and services abound across the United States and Canada. Many merchants choose to
buy or lease ATM machines buy or lease ATM machines to offer their customers the convenience of immediate access to cash. Yet many customers are unaware of common ATM scams that can occur at any location. However, it is easy to understand basic ways thieves try steal information and how to avoid being the victims of ATM machine hoaxes.
Some of the most common ways thieves attempt to steal ATM information are:
• The thief mounts something inside the ATM card slot so that the card will not spit back out, trapping it in the slot. Unaware of this,
the cardholder enters his or her pin number and the thief watches. Thief may also offer to help the owner retrieve the card, using
various lies to encourage the owner to enter the pin number repeatedly. Once the card holder gives up and goes into the bank to
solve the problem, the thief removes the trap, and uses the card and memorized pin to empty the account.
• Card Skimming: Card skimmers are small devices that can be mounted in various ways on or around the ATM machine, with labels
such as “card cleaner.” The most worrisome is a card skimmer mounted over the actual card slot on the ATM. When the card runs
through the skimmer, account information is captured. Skimmers work in conjunction with mounted cameras to capture the pin number.
They have internal storage space for up to 200 cards’ worth of information that can later be used to make fraudulent withdrawals.
• Fake components that Capture pin and account information: along with card skimmers, cameras hidden in various innocuous places on
the ATM machine and fake keypads mounted unobtrusively on top of the real key pad all gather essential ATM checking account
information, without interrupting the ATM transaction.
An informed consumer looking to take advantage of ATM machines and services can easily protect him or herself from these strategies. First off, avoid using ATM machines in unfamiliar stores, where a machine’s integrity cannot be easily confirmed. Second, exercise extreme caution to prevent others from seeing the PIN number associated with a card. Third, if anything interrupts the ATM transaction after you have entered your PIN number but the screen doesn’t explain it, such as if your card or money gets stuck in the machine, don’t walk away. Call the bank’s 24-hour helpline. By exercising caution and using common sense, it is possible to significantly reduce the chances of being a victim of ATM fraud.