Skimming has become a financial crime that has often claimed victims recently. For this reason, as a user of financial services like banks, you must know well what Skimming is and how to avoid it. Here's the complete information regarding skimming that you need to know!
What is skimming?
Skimming is a financial crime by stealing information from the victim's ATM card and duplicating the data on other cards. Generally, skimming crimes occur at ATMs that are far from the reach of many people.
The perpetrator will insert a skimmer into the ATM or, in another way, place it on the pin pad to record the victim's PIN.
The primary purpose of the skimming crime is to steal all data stored on the victim's ATM card, from the ATM card number and ATM PIN to the card security code or CVC.
How to mitigate the risk of skimming crime
1. Avoid quiet ATM locations
ATMs are often used as a means of financial transactions for various needs. They start from making transfers and payments to cash withdrawals. For this reason, some irresponsible parties use it as an excuse to commit skimming crimes.
For those who often use ATMs to make various transactions, choosing an ATM in a strategic environment is a good idea. Avoid ATM locations that are in quiet neighborhoods because, usually, in quiet areas, skimming criminals will target them.
In addition, ATMs located in the gas station area are also the primary target for perpetrators of ATM burglary or skimming crimes. You can choose an ATM in a residential area with many people or an ATM on a strategic road. Also, ensure that CCTV constantly monitors anyone's movements in the ATM area.
2. Pay attention to the ATM booth situation, and make sure there are no suspicious objects (PIN surveillance cameras, etc.)
Next, you need to anticipate the situation around the ATM. You can check the mouth of the ATM slot because skimming criminals usually place the device in that area.
Suppose you feel something unusual at the ATM, such as an indicator light that doesn't turn on. If the machine screen display is not as usual or there are some suspicious objects around the ATM, it's a good idea to leave the ATM and choose another nearby ATM.
3. Cover your hands when pressing the PIN at the ATM
When you want to press the PIN on the ATM, it's a good idea to cover your hand when pressing the ATM PIN with your other hand to make it difficult for the hidden camera to record your hand movements on the ATM pin pad.
The reason is that it is not uncommon for skimming perpetrators to use a remote camera device to find out the movement of the victim's hand when the PIN button of the ATM is pressed.
4. Always change your ATM PIN regularly
Changing your ATM PIN regularly is one of the things you can do to avoid skimming crimes. You can change your ATM PIN at least once a month to make your ATM PIN more secure.
5. Use an ATM card that already has chip technology
Another way to avoid skimming crimes is to change your ATM card to the latest technology. The newest technology in ATM cards you can apply is the use of chips. The chip on your ATM card will make it encrypted so that it improves security.
By encrypting the code, the ATM card you have will only be easily read by any party with the help of a unique code that has been encrypted. For those who still need to upgrade their ATM card, it's a good idea to upgrade for the benefit of the ATM card you are using.
6. Check account transactions regularly
By knowing the details of transactions, you make on your account, you will quickly notice if a suspicious transaction occurs on that account. This is the best preventive action to prevent skimming crimes from happening to you.
7. Immediately block the ATM if a suspicious transaction occurs
If a transaction is considered suspicious in your account, it's a good idea to block the account immediately. This is because a suspicious transaction indicates that a skimming attack has hit your ATM.
8. Call the call center immediately
You can immediately contact the relevant bank to report what happened to you and block the ATM. For you customers of Bank MAS, you can immediately contact the bank MAS call center at 1500011.
How does the Skimming crime tool work on an ATM?
As previously explained, ATM skimming is a crime committed by illegally stealing information on the victim's debit or credit card. Until now, skimming is still one of the problematic crimes to track and know quickly.
To understand and know more about skimming crimes, you also need to know how the skimming crime tools on ATMs work. In general, all forms of skimming crimes perpetrators commit will not leave traces or be very neat. Here's how the skimmer works on an ATM.
1. Install the skimmer device on the ATM
The perpetrator's first step was installing an ATM Skimming device, commonly known as a skimmer. The skimmer is usually shaped like the mouth of an ATM slot so that it can read the card number you are using.
2. Installing a hidden camera on the ATM key cover
Apart from that, perpetrators also usually use a hidden camera placed on the top of the ATM button cover to find out the movement of their hand when entering their PIN. That way, the perpetrator has all the information related to your ATM, from the card number to the PIN used on the ATM card.
3. Duplicate the victim's ATM card
After that, the perpetrator only needs to duplicate the card you usually use with a blank ATM card. The perpetrator will use the duplicated card to access your account and completely drain the contents of the account balance in it.
Characteristics of an ATM that has a skimming device installed
To be aware of skimming crimes, you can find out some of the characteristics of an ATM that has been installed with a skimming device before. Here are the characteristics that you must watch out for:
1. There is a suspicious object on the ATM keypad cover
If you find something odd about an ATM, especially on the ATM keypad, it's best if you don't use the ATM. Because usually, the ATM is equipped with a skimming device, such as a spy camera located on the keypad cover. If you are forced to use the ATM, make your hand cover the ATM keypad area so that the spy camera cannot see the movement of the hand.
2. The card slot looks suspicious
The feature of an ATM installed with another skimmer lies in an ATM slot that looks suspicious. The part on the ATM slot is one of the characteristics you can most recognize before using an ATM, which is indicated as ATM skimming.