Do you check the ATM for tampering every single time you use it? Do you use a library card or or other non-bank card* to swipe open the door of the bank after hours? Do you cover the keypad as you input your PIN, even when there's nobody around?
Even if you do most of these things, you may be powerless against 3-D-printed card skimmers, found on a Chase Bank ATM in West Hills, California.
This clever device is believed to have been fabricated by a 3-D printer, and the precision of the design lets it fit perfectly over the bulbous green blob that is supposed to make Chase's machines hard to cover with skimmers.
The skimmer reads the card's magnetic strip when inserted, and this in turn activates a camera which will record you entering your PIN (this is why you should always cover the keypad when you enter your number).
Inside is circuitry which could be ripped from a cellphone or video camera, raising the possibility that the stolen info could be sent wirelessly to the fraudster who planted the device.
Scary, right? And kind of impressive at the same time. I guess the only safe thing to do is to go into the open bank and draw your money from the cashier, just like we used to do in the olden days.
Pro Grade (3D Printer-Made?) ATM Skimmer [Brian Krebs via BoingBoing]
*Skimmers are often fitted to the door-entry system, on the theory that people are less likely to check them. A camera then records you inputting your PIN into the untouched machine, and the two are matched later.
