Visiting bank ATM? Beware! You may lose money like these people; avoid doing this

Technologies like bank ATM card, cash deposit machines, and internet banking among others, have made our life easy. They not only save our precious time but enables cash-less shopping. Definitely, they save both time and money! However, if advanced and latest technologies have eased our daily-life then they also have had some adverse impact as well. We have read and written a lot about technologies being a boon and bane at the same time and many of us might have experienced it in real life. If not, count yourself lucky! But that is not the case with people mentioned below. 

Recently, some Delhi residents have experienced the bad side of the latest technologies. In one case, some people who had visited a PNB ATM located in Sheikh Sarai area lost their hard-earned money in one go.

It's not that these people had given their ATM card or had disclosed their ATM PIN to anyone. At the time when they came to know about the fraud, they had their ATM/Debit cards with them.

The victims have alleged that when they had visited ATM to withdraw cash, the machine did not dispense money even after they entered all details. The victims then received a message about the transfer of funds from their accounts, Hindustan reported.  

They registered an FIRs with the police in this matter thereafter.

In another case, around 20 customers of Allahabad Bank's Adchini Branch have reported siphoning off of their money from their bank account from ATMs located around the city - Govindpuri, Kalkaji, and Alaknanda. They also said that not only were their bank ATM cards with them, but no one even called them to ask their details, reported NBT newspaper.

Learn here how this may have happened?

Shocking as it may seem, this is not the first time that this sort of incident has happened with bank ATMs.  ATMs have been compromised on a number of other occasions.

Since automated teller machines (ATMs) made their grand entrance in the country, scams like the matchstick trick, glue stick trick, thermo-cam trick, skimmer trick, shoulder surfing trick, sleek trick at pouch, and sleek trick at the cash dispenser unit began surfacing as conmen used all kinds of methods to obtain cash fraudulently from the machines.

"Hackers may have used the skimmer trick in this PNB HACK as it is the most widely used technique in the recent days. Anybody can be the victim of this technique because hackers place the fake card terminal in place of original one," said Prabesh Choudhary, Director at Cryptus Cyber Security.

What is a card skimmer, exactly?

A skimmer is a device that thieves attach to an ATM or a payment machine to trick people who are swiping their credit cards or debit cards.

The device attaches to (or over) the space where your card is normally inserted and reads the information — which thieves then can use to compromise your account. It is also possible that there are maybe a skimming number pad implanted over the original number pad which can record the PIN.

Often, if the target is debit cards, the skimming device is set up on the ATM, along with a nearby camera or person watching you enter your PIN.

If they steal your debit card information and your PIN, fraudsters have everything they need to wipe you out - or make their money by selling your data to the next thief down the line

What does a card skimmer look like?

One dead giveaway, that you may look for, is whether the terminal looks especially wide. Simply put, any overlay skimmer piece will inevitably take up extra space.

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How to be safe?

It's advised that before proceeding with your ATM transaction, you must check the keyboard whether it looks bulged outwards or has it been fixed over the original number pad with tapes or adhesive. 

You may give a gentle nudge to the card swapping slot as well. A fake swapping slot will pop out after a gentle nudge. 

What you can do is use Indoor ATMs within your bank. However, even though they are not impervious to skimmers, but given the constant presence and supervision of bank employees, they are less likely to become compromised or remain compromised for an extended period of time.
 
Check for other hidden cameras. they may be on the machine or in the vicinity recording your every move as you punch in your bank credit or debit card PIN. 

Also, if possible, try to shop or pay using digital transaction methods like BHIM, UPI or wallets. Cashless is the way to go, but that is easier said than done.