This video shows a couple of thieves installing a card-skimmer and a pinhole camera in an ATM. It also illustrates just how effective shielding the keypad can be in defending yourself against scammers. It is a simple trick, but it still provides little protection from more sophisticated techniques, such as keyboard overlays that are capable of logging your keystrokes.
According to Wired, the video was seized by police in the UK. But card skimmingoperations are becoming increasingly common in the US, too. Last year, a group of four Romanians stole $1.8 million from New York ATM customers in a skimming operation.
We always thought people who covered the keypad when typing in their PIN and gave the ATM a once-over before using it were paranoid freaks. Guess they’ll have the last laugh when we find our account’s been emptied by a Central European crime syndicate.
Why You Should Cover the Keypad When Using an ATM
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