Gas pumps and ATMs vulnerable to thieves

The skimmer found at Tiger Stop late last week was handed over to police. Most likely, no bank accounts were compromised, because criminals have to retrieve the skimmer to upload the data.

“The crazy thing about this is that they put what amounts to a piece of plastic with the technology inside it, onto or into the machine and you never know it’s there,” Sean Spence, regional director of Mid-Missouri BBB, said.

Gas pumps are not the only machines vulnerable to thieves.

“What we most often see is skimmers added to ATMs that are in less secure locations,” Spence said.

Criminals will make a duplicate of the plastic piece where a customer would insert a debit card. The skimmer fits inside the piece and is then glued over the original. The customer’s banking information would be recorded when they insert their card.

To access a bank account, thieves also have to get a pin number.

“They’re going to attach a camera somewhere around the top near the keypad, so that they can see which numbers you’re keying in for pin number because they have to have that as well,” Reggie Whilhite, with Central Bank of Boone County, said.

Most banks, including Central Bank of Boone County, have personnel checking ATMs and security technology. If a criminal tries to alter the machine, it shuts down and stops accepting cards.

Even with the added security measures banks have in place, experts said to be vigilant and check the ATM before inserting a card.

“Know what it looks like, if you need to, take a picture of it on your phone. So, that if something doesn’t look quite right, you have something to compare it to next time,” Whilhite said.

Experts said the new chip technology on debit cards does make it more difficult of thieves to steal banking information. However, they warn that it is just a matter of time before high-tech criminals figure a way to get around it.