BENGALURU:The city police are a worried lot as the number of cases of people losing money owing to cloning of ATM cards is on the rise. According to police records, at least 15 to 20 such cases are reported in the city every month.“We have received many complaints of this kind in the recent past ... people lose lakhs of rupees,” a police officer said.
The modus operandi used in such crimes indicate the usage of skimmer devices which are used to illegally copy card details while it is being swiped either at an ATM kiosk or point of sale (PoS) machines. The skimmer will store the data of credit and debits cards, including the personal identification number (PIN), once they are inserted at the kiosk. The suspects remove the reader later and prepare duplicate credit/debit cards by transferring the data from the reader to a laptop. They will then withdraw cash from ATM kiosks using the duplicate cards.
There is another modus operandi that is used. Here the criminal first installs a skimmer-like device in the ATM card slot. However, instead of reading information off the magnetic strip like a typical skimmer, the device punches out the chip, leaving a big hole in the card, which can then be inserted into a blank card for future use. “The overlay has a fake screen and a card reader that is installed by the attackers. To recover the chips, the fraudsters simply remove the overlay and collect the chips,” the officer said.
Police say such devices are easily available in the market. A police officer, who had earlier busted a gang, said criminals were getting their hands on skimmer devices made in the national market. “These machines are also found online,” the officer said. When TNIE checked online, many websites offered these devices for a price of `7,000.
Meanwhile, the police have decided to crackdown on the grey market in Gandhinagar and JC Road where these devices are mostly sold. Another reason why such cases are increasing is low awareness. Also, the victims are slow to act as they wonder if they have to go to the police station or the bank, said another officer.
HOW THE CARD IS CLONED
Each debit/credit card has a magnetic strip containing data
A skimmer machine reads the strip and captures vital details about the account
The data is then copied on to a blank card, which is used for fraudulent transactions
Overlay devices are used to read card PIN
Precautions
Keep a close watch while swiping your card in PoS machines
Ensure you get transaction receipt or SMS
Check for hidden cameras at ATM kiosks