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First Active 'ATM Card Skimmer' Spotted in the Wild
ATM card skimmers. We knew they were a terrifying technical possibility, but, until now, no one had ever found one in the wild. That is until a reader, known as Dan, e-mailed The Consumerist with the photo above and a tale about a suspicious-looking ATM at his local Washington Mutual branch.
Dan noticed that something was a little off. The card slot didn't seem to be completely attached to the machine. Being paranoid after seeing a special a few years back about devices that could be unobtrusively attached to an ATM and used to steal your bank information, he gave the slot a quick tug, and it popped right off in his hand.
On the back of the fake faceplate, Dan found a flash drive, a battery, and a mini USB port for retrieving the stolen information. The faceplate allowed the bank card to pass through to the ATM, reading the card without disrupting normal operation.
Dan took the card skimmer, which could have let the criminal owner of the device steal money straight from his account, to the police, who marveled at it before asking him to bring it to WaMu so they could perform their own investigation.
Maybe it's a sign of the tough economic times that this theoretical criminal tool has finally found its way into the real world. We'll be sure to pay extra close attention to every ATM we hit from now on. [From: Consumerist, Via: BetaNews]
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Comments
10
Subscribe to commentsLAMALANGAApr 8th 2009 8:01PM
ALL ATM'S HAVE A CAMERA.UNLESS THE CROOK DISGUISED HIMSELF, THE LAW WILL NAB HIM SHORTLY.
IanApr 8th 2009 10:37PM
its called the caps lock key. dont use it.
tonyMay 14th 2009 11:32AM
Not all ATMs Most do not have cameras
BrianApr 9th 2009 3:15AM
What the hell? Why did the idiot take it off the machine? He should have left it on there so the cops could stake it out, pick up the perp, and grill him for information.
SkidApr 12th 2009 5:25PM
We've had these in the UK for a couple of years. A couple of times members of the public have found them, removed them and been attacked for their troubles by the criminals who are watching nearby.
fredricwilliamsMay 12th 2009 7:30PM
This picture shows nothing but the keypad. I think someone missed the boat.
AndiMay 13th 2009 5:24AM
You have to click on The Consumerist link to actually see the device, Switched thought it was too hard to actually inform us that the picture was there instead of here.
Fiery1wfMay 13th 2009 10:00PM
I always cover my hand with other while i put my code in i no the key pad by heart but from now on ill take a small screw driver and check the key paid to make sure it is the original
steveMay 14th 2009 6:06AM
Leave your money in your mattress. Banks suck.
DaveMay 14th 2009 1:30PM
ONE NIGHT ABOUT 1 AM I WAS SITTING IN MY CAR COUNTING THE $4.OO I JUST TOOK OUT OF MY ACCOUNT AND I WATCHED A WOMAN WITH A DISH RAG AROUND HER HEAD INSTALL A CAMERA TO THE ATM MACHINE ,SHE SAW ME AND WE WAVED GOOD NIGHT TO ONE ANOTHER, 3 NIGHTS LATER I TOOK MY LAST $1.97 OUT OF THE ATM AND IT WAS ALL THERE SO DON'T PANIC YOU FOOLS, MAYBE THE PEOPLE INSTALLING CAMERA ARE JUST TOURISTS THAT CAN'T AFFORD THE GAS OVER HERE TO GO SEE TOURIST TRAPS