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What you need to know to avoid becoming a victim of carders-scammers.
It happens like this: you find yourself in an unfamiliar place without money. You see an ATM in the alley. Withdraw cash. A few weeks later, a text message arrives: someone in Cape Town is also withdrawing money from your card.
You call the bank, block the card, but the money has already been withdrawn. Whether they are returned or not depends on the bank. We'll have to figure it out and waste time. You may have to call the Cape Town Police.
This is called skimming: scammers steal the card details, then make a duplicate and cash out the money. The danger lies right here:
What is skimming
Skimming is a method of stealing money from a bank card using special equipment.
To do this, scammers need to copy two things: the magnetic stripe on the card and the PIN. They have three devices in their arsenal.
A skimmer. This is a homemade magnetic tape reader. Fraudsters attach it to the ATM card reader. Sometimes the skimmer is masked so well that even a bank employee can't recognize it.
Hidden cameras. Scammers attach them to an ATM or hide them somewhere nearby. A miniature camera is aimed at the ATM keyboard and records how customers enter their PIN. It is not easy to distinguish the camera, because they are also installed by the bank's security service.
Overhead keyboard. Fraudsters install a fake keyboard on top of the original one on the ATM. The fake one remembers everything you type and transmits your keystrokes to the real keys. The ATM responds to clicks as usual, so it is difficult to notice the substitution. Then the criminals take the overlay, decrypt the recording and find out the PIN.
Is skimming relevant in 2024
Not anymore in Russia. Modern ATMs are well protected, and Russians are withdrawing cash less and less often. Security chips have been added to bank cards. Thanks to them, it became pointless to copy the magnetic stripe: without data from the chip, you will not be able to use a copy, and it is quite difficult to copy and decrypt data from the chip.
In addition, fraudsters usually withdraw money from copied Russian cards in other countries, and now this will not work because of thesanctions of international payment systems.
But even before the sanctions, skimming was already a rarity. In 2019, the deputy chairman of the Board of Sberbank claimed victory over him: they say that scammers began to blow up ATMs more often than to put skimming equipment on them. It's even easier to call a person on behalf of a police officer and convince them to transfer money using social engineering.
This does not mean that skimming can be completely forgotten. Because of the sanctions, Russians are massively issuing cards in foreign banks. According to security experts, not all of them correctly configure the chips on their cards, which allows experienced fraudsters — also called shimmers - to steal data from them.
In some countries, banks still haven't really switched to cards with chips and use an insecure magnetic stripe. With such cards, you should be on your guard.
In this article, we will give you universal tips that will help you protect your money both on a foreign bank card and on a bank card from Russia.
How to recognize a skimmer at an ATM
Check the ATM before inserting the card. Look for suspicious signs.
Overlays on the card reader. If a skimmer is installed on the ATM, the card first passes through a special reader, and then gets into a regular card reader. See if there is such an overlay on the slot where the card is inserted:
If the ATM has an anti-skimming pad (a semi-transparent piece made of plastic), try swinging or turning it. The real one will be firmly attached to the ATM. Fake backlash, moves away and wobbles.
Usually, scammers install spy devices for several hours, because they are afraid of inspections by inspectors. Therefore, they use simple methods of fastening: tape, glue, honestly.
Often scammers leave traces: cracks, glue stains and chips. It's best not to use an ATM whose card reader looks like someone picked it up with a screwdriver or doused it with glue.
Raised panels and black dots. Fraudsters make fake panels, mount video cameras in them, and then imperceptibly attach them to an ATM: on a money dispenser, under a visor or under a screen. There are cases when the camera was hidden in the stand for advertising brochures of the same bank:
Feel free to explore the ATM surface. Touch the panels. Usually fake ones don't hold up well. If something is loose, take a closer look at the part.
Bad signal — if there is a miniature depression on a flat surface that looks like a black dot from a distance. Take a closer look: this may be the eye of a video camera.
A convex or different-tone keyboard. Fraudsters do not always have the opportunity to paint fake spare parts in the color of an ATM. The discrepancy in color and tone is easy to notice.
Most often, the pseudo-keyboard is put on glue or double-sided tape. Therefore, when typing keys, there is a slight backlash. The pad moves away from the ATM:
If the keyboard is different in texture, bulges or wobbles, try to pry it with your fingernail. If the ATM is attacked by fraudsters, you will see a real keyboard under the overlay.
If the ATM is old, with chipped and worn panels, and the keyboard looks like new-this is also a bad sign. It doesn't happen that banks change the keyboard separately from the ATM case.
How to choose an ATM
Skimmers can never be encountered if you follow a few rules.
No: unknown ATMs. Try to withdraw money from one ATM. Ideally, if you remember what it looks like (especially the keyboard and card reader).
No: street ATMs. There, it is easier for scammers to install a reader or record on camera how you type your PIN.
No: ATMs in dark places. Even if the ATM is located indoors, a lack of light is bad. You may not notice any suspicious details. If you don't have a choice, turn on the phone's flashlight and inspect the ATM.
Yes: antiskimming pads. Banks are at war with card scammers. For example, they put anti-skimmers on ATMs — special protective pads that prevent the reader from being attached:
The irony is that at first the anti-skimmers were very similar to the skimmers themselves. People are confused, so today antiskimmers are made of transparent plastic. This helps the client see that there are no scanners, wires, or circuit boards inside the card reader.
However, scammers have learned to disguise skimmers as anti-skimmers. The same recipe will help here: do not hesitate to move the card reader before entering the card.
Yes: ATMs inside bank branches. They are better protected and more often checked by bank security guards. In addition, there are always a lot of ATMs in the branches: it is too expensive for scammers to cover each one with skimmers. At the same time, criminals sometimes specifically attack the police departments, because people think that they are not in any danger there.
Yes: "wings" for the keyboard. Such ATMs make it difficult to install false keys and almost completely exclude the possibility of recording pin entry on a hidden camera:
Yes: ATMs with jitters. Jitter is an overlay on the card reader that causes the card to vibrate when you type. If the ATM is equipped with jitter, fraudsters are likely to bypass it: the jitter will not allow them to correctly copy the magnetic tape on the card. Without this, the whole scheme becomes meaningless.
However, there are problems with jitters. First, most ATMs don't have them. Secondly, you can't figure out that the ATM is jittering until you insert the card. But you can first test an unfamiliar ATM with a discount card. If it vibrates when you enter it, it means that the ATM is safe.
Testing an ATM is an unnecessary step, but it can save you a thousand rubles, five rubles, or fifty rubles. Remember: to get your card details to fraudsters, you just need to use an infected ATM once.
Caution: ATM in the office or shopping center. It's harder for skimmers to get close to them. But there are cases when fraudsters bribed security guards, and they sent internal surveillance cameras to the ATM. Then the videos were passed to the scammers and they peeked at the pins. Always cover the keyboard with your hand.
Caution: locks at the entrance to the bank branch. Many banks have branches with magnetic locks. You can enter it using any card with a magnetic stripe. Sometimes scammers put skimmers directly on the lock. It's easy to deal with this: use a discount card.
Sometimes scammers hang a keyboard for entering a pin on an external lock. Here, too, it's simple: if you are required to enter something at the entrance, they are definitely scammers — and desperate ones at that. Banks will never ask you to enter your PIN when entering a branch.
Caution: tourist areas abroad. When we travel, we don't know what ATMs of foreign banks look like, so it's easier to deceive us. Scammers take advantage of this. Be careful, especially in Asia: Asian skimming kung fu has no equal.
How to protect your money
Here are some tips that will be relevant for both foreign and Russian bank cards.
Cover your hand with your free hand when entering the pin. Sometimes criminals don't put up cameras and overhead keyboards, but simply hire people to spy on you as you type your pin:
Go to the chip card. All new cards currently issued by Russian banks contain a chip. But if you still have a rare card without a chip or one issued by a foreign bank, this is a gift for the skimmer.
The presence of a chip will not protect you 100%. The chip is really hard to copy. But it is read by an ATM, and not all ATMs in Russia can do this yet. Fraudsters know where to find outdated ATMs and withdraw cash using a magnetic stripe. Chips reduce the risk, but do not reduce it to zero.
Enable sms banking. Enable SMS notifications about all operations on your account to quickly respond to sudden debits. This will not help if you are being paid out at night or if your phone is turned off.
Set limits. Restrict cash withdrawal in online banking. Fraudsters will not be able to withdraw the entire amount at one time. And if you rarely use ATMs, you can prohibit withdrawing money from the card altogether.
It happens like this: you find yourself in an unfamiliar place without money. You see an ATM in the alley. Withdraw cash. A few weeks later, a text message arrives: someone in Cape Town is also withdrawing money from your card.
You call the bank, block the card, but the money has already been withdrawn. Whether they are returned or not depends on the bank. We'll have to figure it out and waste time. You may have to call the Cape Town Police.
This is called skimming: scammers steal the card details, then make a duplicate and cash out the money. The danger lies right here:
What is skimming
Skimming is a method of stealing money from a bank card using special equipment.
To do this, scammers need to copy two things: the magnetic stripe on the card and the PIN. They have three devices in their arsenal.
A skimmer. This is a homemade magnetic tape reader. Fraudsters attach it to the ATM card reader. Sometimes the skimmer is masked so well that even a bank employee can't recognize it.
Hidden cameras. Scammers attach them to an ATM or hide them somewhere nearby. A miniature camera is aimed at the ATM keyboard and records how customers enter their PIN. It is not easy to distinguish the camera, because they are also installed by the bank's security service.
Overhead keyboard. Fraudsters install a fake keyboard on top of the original one on the ATM. The fake one remembers everything you type and transmits your keystrokes to the real keys. The ATM responds to clicks as usual, so it is difficult to notice the substitution. Then the criminals take the overlay, decrypt the recording and find out the PIN.
Is skimming relevant in 2024
Not anymore in Russia. Modern ATMs are well protected, and Russians are withdrawing cash less and less often. Security chips have been added to bank cards. Thanks to them, it became pointless to copy the magnetic stripe: without data from the chip, you will not be able to use a copy, and it is quite difficult to copy and decrypt data from the chip.
In addition, fraudsters usually withdraw money from copied Russian cards in other countries, and now this will not work because of thesanctions of international payment systems.
But even before the sanctions, skimming was already a rarity. In 2019, the deputy chairman of the Board of Sberbank claimed victory over him: they say that scammers began to blow up ATMs more often than to put skimming equipment on them. It's even easier to call a person on behalf of a police officer and convince them to transfer money using social engineering.
This does not mean that skimming can be completely forgotten. Because of the sanctions, Russians are massively issuing cards in foreign banks. According to security experts, not all of them correctly configure the chips on their cards, which allows experienced fraudsters — also called shimmers - to steal data from them.
In some countries, banks still haven't really switched to cards with chips and use an insecure magnetic stripe. With such cards, you should be on your guard.
In this article, we will give you universal tips that will help you protect your money both on a foreign bank card and on a bank card from Russia.
How to recognize a skimmer at an ATM
Check the ATM before inserting the card. Look for suspicious signs.
Overlays on the card reader. If a skimmer is installed on the ATM, the card first passes through a special reader, and then gets into a regular card reader. See if there is such an overlay on the slot where the card is inserted:
If the ATM has an anti-skimming pad (a semi-transparent piece made of plastic), try swinging or turning it. The real one will be firmly attached to the ATM. Fake backlash, moves away and wobbles.
Usually, scammers install spy devices for several hours, because they are afraid of inspections by inspectors. Therefore, they use simple methods of fastening: tape, glue, honestly.
Often scammers leave traces: cracks, glue stains and chips. It's best not to use an ATM whose card reader looks like someone picked it up with a screwdriver or doused it with glue.
Raised panels and black dots. Fraudsters make fake panels, mount video cameras in them, and then imperceptibly attach them to an ATM: on a money dispenser, under a visor or under a screen. There are cases when the camera was hidden in the stand for advertising brochures of the same bank:
Feel free to explore the ATM surface. Touch the panels. Usually fake ones don't hold up well. If something is loose, take a closer look at the part.
Bad signal — if there is a miniature depression on a flat surface that looks like a black dot from a distance. Take a closer look: this may be the eye of a video camera.
A convex or different-tone keyboard. Fraudsters do not always have the opportunity to paint fake spare parts in the color of an ATM. The discrepancy in color and tone is easy to notice.
Most often, the pseudo-keyboard is put on glue or double-sided tape. Therefore, when typing keys, there is a slight backlash. The pad moves away from the ATM:
If the keyboard is different in texture, bulges or wobbles, try to pry it with your fingernail. If the ATM is attacked by fraudsters, you will see a real keyboard under the overlay.
If the ATM is old, with chipped and worn panels, and the keyboard looks like new-this is also a bad sign. It doesn't happen that banks change the keyboard separately from the ATM case.
How to choose an ATM
Skimmers can never be encountered if you follow a few rules.
No: unknown ATMs. Try to withdraw money from one ATM. Ideally, if you remember what it looks like (especially the keyboard and card reader).
No: street ATMs. There, it is easier for scammers to install a reader or record on camera how you type your PIN.
No: ATMs in dark places. Even if the ATM is located indoors, a lack of light is bad. You may not notice any suspicious details. If you don't have a choice, turn on the phone's flashlight and inspect the ATM.
Yes: antiskimming pads. Banks are at war with card scammers. For example, they put anti-skimmers on ATMs — special protective pads that prevent the reader from being attached:
The irony is that at first the anti-skimmers were very similar to the skimmers themselves. People are confused, so today antiskimmers are made of transparent plastic. This helps the client see that there are no scanners, wires, or circuit boards inside the card reader.
However, scammers have learned to disguise skimmers as anti-skimmers. The same recipe will help here: do not hesitate to move the card reader before entering the card.
Yes: ATMs inside bank branches. They are better protected and more often checked by bank security guards. In addition, there are always a lot of ATMs in the branches: it is too expensive for scammers to cover each one with skimmers. At the same time, criminals sometimes specifically attack the police departments, because people think that they are not in any danger there.
Yes: "wings" for the keyboard. Such ATMs make it difficult to install false keys and almost completely exclude the possibility of recording pin entry on a hidden camera:
Yes: ATMs with jitters. Jitter is an overlay on the card reader that causes the card to vibrate when you type. If the ATM is equipped with jitter, fraudsters are likely to bypass it: the jitter will not allow them to correctly copy the magnetic tape on the card. Without this, the whole scheme becomes meaningless.
However, there are problems with jitters. First, most ATMs don't have them. Secondly, you can't figure out that the ATM is jittering until you insert the card. But you can first test an unfamiliar ATM with a discount card. If it vibrates when you enter it, it means that the ATM is safe.
Testing an ATM is an unnecessary step, but it can save you a thousand rubles, five rubles, or fifty rubles. Remember: to get your card details to fraudsters, you just need to use an infected ATM once.
Caution: ATM in the office or shopping center. It's harder for skimmers to get close to them. But there are cases when fraudsters bribed security guards, and they sent internal surveillance cameras to the ATM. Then the videos were passed to the scammers and they peeked at the pins. Always cover the keyboard with your hand.
Caution: locks at the entrance to the bank branch. Many banks have branches with magnetic locks. You can enter it using any card with a magnetic stripe. Sometimes scammers put skimmers directly on the lock. It's easy to deal with this: use a discount card.
Sometimes scammers hang a keyboard for entering a pin on an external lock. Here, too, it's simple: if you are required to enter something at the entrance, they are definitely scammers — and desperate ones at that. Banks will never ask you to enter your PIN when entering a branch.
Caution: tourist areas abroad. When we travel, we don't know what ATMs of foreign banks look like, so it's easier to deceive us. Scammers take advantage of this. Be careful, especially in Asia: Asian skimming kung fu has no equal.
How to protect your money
Here are some tips that will be relevant for both foreign and Russian bank cards.
Cover your hand with your free hand when entering the pin. Sometimes criminals don't put up cameras and overhead keyboards, but simply hire people to spy on you as you type your pin:
Go to the chip card. All new cards currently issued by Russian banks contain a chip. But if you still have a rare card without a chip or one issued by a foreign bank, this is a gift for the skimmer.
The presence of a chip will not protect you 100%. The chip is really hard to copy. But it is read by an ATM, and not all ATMs in Russia can do this yet. Fraudsters know where to find outdated ATMs and withdraw cash using a magnetic stripe. Chips reduce the risk, but do not reduce it to zero.
Enable sms banking. Enable SMS notifications about all operations on your account to quickly respond to sudden debits. This will not help if you are being paid out at night or if your phone is turned off.
Set limits. Restrict cash withdrawal in online banking. Fraudsters will not be able to withdraw the entire amount at one time. And if you rarely use ATMs, you can prohibit withdrawing money from the card altogether.
