Stealthy, Razor Thin ATM Insert Skimmers

[Jimjim]

Getting your card number stolen can happen to anyone, anywhere, even without using ATMs.

I had my card number stolen in Vegas, and I used it at only 3 or 4 places, like the Burger King at airport, the roller coaster, etc. Never used my pin.

Lucky I didn't lose any money as the guy who had a copy of it was pulled over by police far away from Vegas (they said they had narrowed down the theft of numbers to Vegas as the common theme of all the stolen card numbers) but with about 200 fake credit cards with stolen info on them.

[hawker9000]

I got done last week. Don't know how they skimmed my card. because its been in the drawer for a few months. But i checked my account and apparently id been shopping in a Gucci store in USA.

That's someone who did a web hack and got your number most likely. I got you beat though! Amex called me as they saw suspicious transactions. Yep fraud but same as ypu I still had my card. Here' s the best part. They send me a new card and I left it, sealed in the envelope, on my dresser, unactivated for a week. Amex called again asking about suspicious charges on THE NEW CARD. I told them it was still sealed in the mailing envelope so the only way the number could be stolen was internally at AMEX. She tried to defend her company but eventually conceeded with a sigh.

Same thing happened to me. Someone had succeeded in getting themselves added to my account (by phone; apparently they just need your personal data, don't have to pretend to be "you" yourself calling just so long as they have your personal info, and you as the "master account holder" are not notified). And the card issuer wouldn't even tell me their name - even criminals apparently have a right to privacy! (However, their PIN letter came to my address...) I filed a police report with the name of the fraudster & some other info the card co. had let slip to me, as well as one to the feds, but I seriously doubt there has been or ever will be any follow-up. And that's the problem; not enough of these cases are ever run down, for whatever reason, to put any real fear in these lowlife scum.

Most credit card issuers let you add a "safety password" or extra PIN to your account, that must be used for ANY changes after that to the account. Highly recommended for ALL your accounts (credit cards, bank accounts, everything). If you don't have any other authorized users on your card (wife, kids, whatever), you can also try asking the issuer to put a note on your account stating that you never put additional authorized users on your cards and to obtain your specific approval before ever doing so, but for some reason at least some issuers just don't seem to be set up for or able or willing to do this.

In my case, after the compromised card (and the one that came after it) had both been cancelled, the fraudster actually called the card issuer back to repeat the process of getting another card for themselves - at the same time I myself was on the phone with them! The rep I was talking to said they were actually angry "at the inconvenience" and very insistent about it, too. But I'd already put the safety password on, and the thief of course didn't know it. Apparently the company reps can't just call them crooks and tell them to f#&k off, so they just start putting up obstacles (e.g., tell them to fax copies of the master account holder's birth certificate & social security card & maybe a utility bill or something, etc., etc.), until the slime finally gives up (and probably just moves on to their next mark...).

[Crazy chef 1]

Agreed Neverdie,

I have been done three times in the past. Always recovered the money, but cost me money in phone calls, changing numbers etc. Now I transfer funds to my Thai banks, and do not even have atm card for them. Walk in and withdraw when needed. Yes, inconvenient, but still better than the alternative.

Every time they catch these scumbags in Thailand they are not even local trash but farangs, lowlifes from those countries, you know the ones.

They should introduce the death penalty for this crime.......no ifs, not buts.

Sorry ND i disagree- the death penalty should be reserved for child molesters,rapers and murderers.everything else can be dealt with a nice jail term.

imho

[hawker9000]

Agreed Neverdie,

I have been done three times in the past. Always recovered the money, but cost me money in phone calls, changing numbers etc. Now I transfer funds to my Thai banks, and do not even have atm card for them. Walk in and withdraw when needed. Yes, inconvenient, but still better than the alternative.

Every time they catch these scumbags in Thailand they are not even local trash but farangs, lowlifes from those countries, you know the ones.

They should introduce the death penalty for this crime.......no ifs, not buts.

Sorry ND i disagree- the death penalty should be reserved for child molesters,rapers and murderers.everything else can be dealt with a nice jail term.

imho

It's not realistic to think that the death penalty could ever be imposed for card-skimming or any other credit card fraud, but obviously there's nothing effectively discouraging these crimes presently. I don't even think long jail terms are much of a possibility, in western countries anyway, except for maybe the capos the very few times they're ever caught. Too much competition with other serious crimes for jail space... The answer lies elsewhere. Security technologies are just a cat & mouse game, and the scum seem to overcome security gimmicks almost as fast as security providers can deploy them. I confess I don't know what the answer is, but I fear the solutions government comes up with will inevitably involve ever greater intrusiveness and loss of privacy for everyone. THAT'S the REAL crime these thieving scum are guilty of, just like the terrorists have done, stealing our freedoms. It WOULD help to maybe lower the international barriers to prosecution of this and all computer crime, and make extradition for these crimes easier and faster.

Edited August 24, 2014 by hawker9000

[neverdie]

Lads,

I didn't really think the death penalty was on the cards but torture would work. Jails in the west and expensive & funded by THE TAXPAYER, the west needs Thai style jails, cheap n torturous.

[hawker9000]

Lads,

I didn't really think the death penalty was on the cards but torture would work. Jails in the west and expensive & funded by THE TAXPAYER, the west needs Thai style jails, cheap n torturous.

That'd have the lefties rioting in the streets...

[96tehtarp]

I got done last week. Don't know how they skimmed my card. because its been in the drawer for a few months. But i checked my account and apparently id been shopping in a Gucci store in USA.

I don't doubt that you were skimmed, however why are you certain that your details were stolen by the use of an ATM skimmer?

[JDGRUEN]

Another way of lowering your exposure is to keep most of your money in one account that does not have an ATM card. I move money online into a second account with an ATM card. That way any loss from skimming is minimized. I did this at KBank.

I do something similar with my two accounts at USAA both with Debit / ATM cards.. and they do not have automatic overdraft turned on. Plus I do not use my credit cards for much - just every now and them...

Seen only by me and banking personnel I have named the accounts and a tag on one debit cards to know which one is my low balance card... I keep a few hundred dollars at most in the low balance card.. and transfer money via secure on line. My exposure is quite limited this way.

Also - Prepaid Debit / ATM cards can be used the same way -- low balance - transfer money over secure site the bank has... The American Express / Walmart Blue Bird card works this way... but in Thailand not sure about acceptance at ATMs... There are many prepaid debit / ATM cards available that can be 'charged up' --- topped up over the internet from your bank account even using a smartphone.

Some of the Prepaid Debit / ATM cards endorsed by MasterCard or Visa have a way of changing the pin number near instantly over a secure connection ... The Walmart Money Card works this way - or at least did. Lose or misplace the card - change the pin in a few minutes -- find the card - get it back ... you have nothing else to do

I recently had one of my Debit / ATM cards eaten by an ATM machine... I was able to quite quickly remove all money from that account. I gave up trying to get the card back after running into endless run arounds - I just had the card inactivated and ordered a new one --- but no hurry to have to have it . I just got the new one today.

And I know where all my cards are... Plus if I have a 'guest' over she will never see where I keep such things under lock. Then she has to pry money out of the the old fashion way.

[Pistol101]

why dont we just introduce mandatory microchipping of the worlds population... .hahashaha... im sure this is what the global elites want anyway... just another problem, reaction, solution scenario for them to work with to get the mark of the beast on everyone...