Identifying skimming equipment


Skimming
Illustration of someone attaching skimming equipment to an ATM. Image courtesy of BBC News.

Almost every week I make notice of articles in the national newspapers that someone has become victim of ATM fraud, or skimming. Usually, the article describes where the event took place and issues a warning that you should contact your bank if you suspect that you have been victim to such crimes.

One thing that bothers me about this, is that neither the media or even the banks here in Norway publish any information about how one can detect skimming equipment, so you can avoid having your VISA card scanned (or your pin code video taped) in the first place.

By doing some research, I found out that a bank in Australia (!) has published information on how to spot if an ATM has been modified, with images of how it looks like both with and without the skimming equipment attached. My first impression is that the material is both informative and easy to follow.

Once you read through the PDF, you should be more fit to avoid being victim of card skimming in the future! 🙂

In addition, I would recommend that you examine the ATM every time before you use it. If anything seems out of the ordinary, see if you are able to move any loose panels around. You do not have anything to loose, except your money.