Did anyone happen to catch this in The Blade last week? An excerpt:
"Sylvania Township police are looking for the person responsible for attaching an electronic device that reads debit card and PIN numbers to an ATM, officials said.
The device, a skimmer, was found on the Fifth Third Bank machine on West Central Avenue near King Road on Saturday by a customer who then reported it to police, said Deputy Chief Ray Carroll."
(Full story here: http://www.toledoblade.com/Police-Fire/2012/05/18/Skimmer-found-on-bank-ATM-in-Sylvania-Twp.html )
So, skimmers aren't new. But what amazes me is finding one AT A BANK BRANCH -- huh? Wouldn't the bank's security cameras have caught this? Who out there know (a lot) more than I do about banks and security and skimmers and fraud? This one has me shaking my head...
Some of these devices are quite sophisticated, and unless you are well versed in the latest technological innovations, you would not necessariy notice the device. Here is an example of a relatively unobtrusive skimmer:
Also: most ATMs at banks get serviced from inside the bank, and the only time a bank employee would even go outside is if a customer needed help. This device could have been up for a week or more.
And yes: the cameras probably have some useful information, but it will likely be some time before the perp is caught. I think the trickiest ones are the skimmers with remote data collection, where the crook just has to place the skimmer and then collect the data from a safe distance away via a wireless device like a laptop.
Of course, there are significant digital fingerprints associated with all of these devices, and I suspect that most of the skimmer operations are not sophisticated enough to create a system with heavy decryption technology to outwit the feds for very long. Most skimmers seem to be slightly techno-savvy than the average crook, but still small-scale criminals.
BTW: here are some anti-skimming tips from the FBI:
How to Avoid being Skimmed
- Inspect the ATM, gas pump, or credit card reader before using it…be suspicious if you see anything loose, crooked, or damaged, or if you notice scratches or adhesive/tape residue.
- When entering your PIN, block the keypad with your other hand to prevent possible hidden cameras from recording your number.
- If possible, use an ATM at an inside location (less access for criminals to install skimmers).
- Be careful of ATMs in tourist areas…they are a popular target of skimmers.
- If your card isn’t returned after the transaction or after hitting “cancel,” immediately contact the financial institution that issued the card.
I have had some security folks at fairly well-known places around town tell me that security tape footage is only looked at after a problem is discovered by some other means. In other words, there's no one looking at a live feed. When they put up the cameras, they don't hire extra people to sit & watch them ... they just make the tapes available to police upon request.
viola posted at 07:29:11 PM on May 20, 2012:I have had some security folks at fairly well-known places around town tell me that security tape footage is only looked at after a problem is discovered by some other means. In other words, there's no one looking at a live feed. When they put up the cameras, they don't hire extra people to sit & watch them ... they just make the tapes available to police upon request.
That's as I would expect it.
Images are stored to a hard drive and quality/resolution/frames per second are set during programming. This can be a local device accessible through the LAN/WAN or an IP based camera recording to an off-site server or NVR.
Time/Date and a Watermark are incorporated for authenticity.
Images can be shared with law enforcement via electronic transfer, USB or DVD typically.