The Age of the Skimmer

First the good news.

The Secret Service has apprehended an alleged ring of ATM skimmer crooks in eastern Massachusetts. The group set up skimmers with pinhole cameras on Bank of America and Citizens Bank ATMs in the greater Boston area. According to authorities, when one of the suspects was caught, he had almost $100,000 in twenties in his possession.

The Secret Service learned in December that a Bank of America ATM in Saugus had been rigged with the scanner device, called a skimmer, and a pinhole camera, according to a court affidavit from a Secret Service agent. A surveillance photo showed the thief attaching the skimmer, the affidavit said. Another photo allegedly showed jis partner removing the camera.

Authorities were informed on Jan. 22 of ATM tampering at Citizens Bank locations in Quincy, Milton, Braintree, and Somerville, the affidavit said. Surveillance photos showed the same men at the Citizens locations, according to the affidavit.

Three days later, photos showed the men rigging Bank of America ATM machines in Saugus, Milton, Weymouth, Cambridge, Dorchester, and Roslindale, the affidavit said.

Now the bad news – skimming has been around for some time, but like everything else, things are becoming more sophisticated.

Don’t fall prey to ATM skimming scams. Scammers can quickly read a card’s information and use it to access your account fraudulently. With a small device, your card’s information gets stored so that criminals can easily get to it later.

Skimmers may be installed on ATM machines, and sometimes you can’t even notice them. A small device goes over the normal card reading slot and reads your card’s magnetic stripe. Here’s an example:

The equipment used to capture your ATM card number and PIN is cleverly disguised to look like normal ATM equipment. A “skimmer” is mounted to the front of the normal ATM card slot that reads the ATM card number and transmits it to the criminals sitting in a nearby car.

At the same time, a wireless camera is disguised to look like a leaflet holder and is mounted in a position to view ATM PIN entries.

The thieves copy the cards and use the PIN numbers to withdraw thousands from many accounts in a very short time directly from the bank ATM. The equipment as it appears installed over the normal ATM bank slot.

To avoid any hassles, use these tricks to avoid getting caught in a skimming scam:

• Use secure ATM machines – under video surveillance or inside of a bank lobby. They're less likely to be tampered with. Thieves have to take more risk installing skimmers where there are security cameras.
  
• Cover the ATM keypad as you're entering your PIN -- just in case there's a hidden camera around.
  
• Skimming devices will stick out a few extra inches from an ATM. If something looks suspicious, find another ATM. Don't fall for a poor fitting device (or a sticker or sign that says "Swipe Here First", or “Use This Machine Only”).
  
• If a machine keeps your card, call the bank immediately and report it.
  
• Don't accept "help" from anybody hanging around the ATM machine. They may say they were having trouble also and you just need to enter your PIN again.

Now I'm not trying to freak you out - all I'm saying is just be aware. Look at all the ATMs in the bank you're in to make sure they all look the same. Look for hidden cameras or extra seams that seem out of place. Look for odd protrusions or elements that have colors that don't match the rest of the machine. If you're paying attention, you should be OK. But if you aren't, you could be at risk for giving up your checking account and your hard-earned money to a scammer.