Spot the skimmerat

Sangeet Toor

Vijay went to an ATM to withdraw money. Only one machine out of the three were working. He took the cash and left the ATM. Within 10 minutes of leaving the ATM, he got an alert that another Rs 15,000 have been debited from his account. He contacted his bank, but they insisted that he had made the transactions. Vijay had to take the loss with a grain of salt. He is just one person in the ever-growing pool of ATM fraud victims in India.

According to Reserve Bank of India, from 2014-15 to 2016-17, ATM fraud soared 179 per cent in value and 169 per cent in volume. The exorbitant rise in the fraud is particularly a post-demonetisation attribute. People have been more dependent on the digital payment system, which is outdated both in hardware and software. ATM machines are still running on antiquated Windows XP. While many aspects of such frauds are not in the control of the consumer, some frauds can be easily avoided.

ATM skimming is one such contraption used by the attackers. Skimming is not a sophisticated attack, hence it is widely used. The lack of sophistication also makes it easier for the cyber-aware consumers to spot a skimmer and protect their finances.

You have been following the ATM safety best practices, but someone still got unauthorised access to you account and stole money, follow the steps below:

• Report the fraudulent transaction to the bank or the card provider immediately.
• Get the customer care number handy and get the card blocked.
• Additionally, send an email or letter detailing the unauthorised transaction. It is always good to get the things in writing.
• Lodge an FIR as soon as possible.
• If the bank does not respond within a week, approach the nodal officer.
• If the bank still does not respond, approach Reserve Bank of India.

ATM safety etiquette

Spot a skimmer: If the card slot is wobbly, bulky and can be pulled out easily, it is a skimmer. Please leave the ATM immediately. If you could also see a small peeping hole above the keypad, the chances are there is a camera installed in there to capture the PIN.

Shady/dirty ATMs: Avoid using ATMs which are in shady corners of a street. Use only well-lit ATMs. Also, if the machine looks old and in dire need of a repair, don’t use it. The attackers can also install fake machines to capture data and such machines will have altered fronts.

Cover the keypad: As a rule to PIN punching, always hide the keypad with your other hand.

No thanks: If a stranger tries to help you, please discard their advances. 

It’s a secret: Never reveal your card number, PIN, CVV and One-Time Password to anyone.

SMS alert: This is probably one of the best services given by the banks. Any fraudulent transactions are pinpointed within minutes.

How is skimming carried out

Skimmer: Central to the attack, it is a small device attached to the card slot of the machine. Its purpose is to read the card data. The data is then cloned onto another card or simply used to make online transactions.

Camera: A tiny camera installed somewhere over the keypad is used to steal the PIN.

Keypad film: A thin film is attached on the keypad to capture the PIN.