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Fraud through ATMs : Use of Skimmers and How to prevent yourself from being victim.

Have you heard news like mentioned below:


These kind of news are common nowadays. Just few days back my one senior (who used to be senior once) got his Rs. 25000 deducted from his account from New Delhi while he was sipping tea at his home Lucknow having his ATM card in his pocket.

How Do they do it:

1. The criminals will install a device called skimmer (image below) over the point where the ATM Cards are inserted. It is usually ATM Machines but sometimes even shopkeepers or store owners who accept payment through Debit Card, may also install a skimmer in their Hand Held Payment Channel (Card Reader) Machine.  The Skimmers are basically devices that can read information through your card. The information is stored in Magnetic Strip on your card and the skimmer device is going to steal it which later will be used to create a Duplicate ATM of yours. How?? Just by creating a magnetic strip having the same information as of your ATM Card.


2. Ok then how will they get my ATM Pin? Ahh easy, just like the skimmers, they will install a tricky keypad over the actual keypad and will store your PIN into it. 

3. Now they will at some later date create a duplicate ATM of yours and will withdraw from some other state from ATM of some other bank. Now when you will get to know this, you will have to move here and there from Your Bank to Bank of that ATM from where the money was withdrawan and meanwhile police will also have a "Jurisdiction" issue to solve the matter because more than one state is involved. 

4. CCTV ??? Ahh they have Helmet, mask etc to cover their face. Forget it.

So What to do?

1. Keep watch your Debit messages on your mobile and as soon as you get some suspicious withdrawal message, Immediately call the Customer Care of Your bank or Login to the Net Baking and Block your ATM Card immediately.

2. Lodge FIR instantly. Where?? Your nearest Police Station. Any issue?? Lodge the FIR Online from this Link (for Uttar Pradesh) and get the printout and go to Bank and file a complaint enclosing the printout of FIR. 

How to prevent it?

1. Better keep changing the ATM PIN every week.

2. Better have two Accounts and link them with Net Banking. And issue ATM only in one account and keep necessary balance only in that. Whenever you need the money, transfer fund from safe account to ATM Account. 

3. Get Chip Based new ATM cards from bank which are more secure than plain magnetic strip based cards. 


Have you any other ideas or thoughts?? Comment it. 

Liked the article?? Share it with your freinds. 


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Article by the Sarkaari Admi (Admin)

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trijjya
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4 August 2018 at 10:24 delete

Thanks for sharing...

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