After the pandemic, cybercrime is becoming a greater menace. Cybercrime either targets computers to perform the crime or uses them as tools to do so. There are a variety of ways to make money through criminal activity in this growing scam industry. As more and more businesses are moving online, the risks associated with cybercrime are becoming increasingly serious. This article will add to another segment of fraud under UdaipurTimes cybercrime awareness campaign. Fraudsters can take money from your credit card through ATM card skimming. An ATM skimmer cash machine can enable hackers to steal your card information and quickly empty your account. 

Skimmer 

ATM skimmers are designed to look like part of the ATM machine, and they are attached to ATM card readers to capture payment card details. ATM skimmers may also have hidden cameras installed to record a person’s PIN codes. Fraudsters use ATM skimming to illegally obtain personal information for profit. 

https://cms.rbi.org.in/

The information gathered by ATM skimmers, including card numbers, CVV codes, expiry dates, and PINs, is transmitted to criminal remote equipment, where it may be used for identity theft or other crimes. By stealing information from unsuspecting customers at ATMs, criminals have access to sensitive financial information that can be used to purchase goods and services online, create fake accounts, or commit fraud. 

How to know if the ATM machine has a skimmer device attached to it?

All skimming devices are designed to look like normal parts of an ATM machines, so it’s very difficult to notice that anything is amiss. But by examining credit card skimming device photos, and familiarizing yourself with the various skimming methods, it is possible to identify skimming equipment. 

The cameras used in ATM skimming schemes are extremely tiny and usually disguised to blend in with other parts of the machine. But cameras may give off a strange light or be hidden behind an unusual plastic attachment. 

Keypad overlays look a lot like regular ATM keypads, but they may stick out from the ATMs surface or be made from a different material than the rest of the machine. 

Shimmers are paper-thin devices inserted into ATM card readers. ATM shimmers record the data on the customer’s card chip while the ATM functions normally, which makes them a particularly difficult type of skimming equipment to detect since they are hidden within the machine itself. 

Avoid skimming scams: 

- Make sure there are no skimming devices in the ATMs before initiating any transactions. Make sure there are no skimming devices in the ATMs before initiating any transactions.

- Make sure there are no skimming devices in the ATMs before initiating any transactions.

- To confirm all transactions, constantly review your transaction history.

- Report to the occurence to the nearest cybercrime station and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal http://cybercrime.gov.in/

- Last but not the least through online payments methods the things have become easier. Use online payments apps such as GooglePay , Phonepe etc to avoid ATM Skimming Frauds. 

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