ATM "Skimming" - where a customer's card details are captured by an electronic device fitted to an ATM - has recently emerged as a serious fraud issue across Australia.
A form of Card Fraud, criminals affix external electronic devices to ATMs to obtain customer card information and PINs. This information is then downloaded and the accounts raided.
Skimming is an industry wide problem affecting all financial institutions throughout Australia and the world.
ATM skimmers are devices fitted to the ATM around the card slot, they are roughly the size of a deck of cards, but can be smaller. They capture customer information when customers insert their card. They are usually placed on the ATM with a PIN Capturing device. PIN Capturing devices are usually hidden cameras placed on the front of the ATM above or around the Key Pad, or devices placed over the Key Pad.
Protecting your PIN
Protecting your PIN is the best means of avoiding ATM Skimming, your PIN is the key to your accounts and to accessing your money. To better protect yourself:
- Cover your hand each and every time you enter your PIN
- Change your PIN regularly
- Do not write your PIN down
- Do not tell anyone your PIN
How to Check and ATM for Skimmers - they can be really hard to spot
- Familiarise yourself with the look and feel of the ATM, faceplate and the standard signage.
- Run your eyes over the ATM and look for any sticky residue or obvious join marks (key pad, card entry slot and lighting diffusers on the ATM).
- Inspect the ATM for scratches, gouges, adhesive or tape residues which could be indicators of tampering.
- Check either side of the ATM faceplate (fascia), around lighting panels and the area where the keypad is attached.
If you notice something suspicious and think a skimming device may have been fitted, or that the ATM has been tampered with call Bankwest on 13 17 18. Do not use the ATM and do not attempt to remove the suspicious device from the machine.
| Examples of ATM Skimming devices; | ||
 |  | |
| Glue residue and gouge on an ATM | Example of a PIN capture device | |
 |  |
For more information, click here for some question and answers on ATM skimming.
