Almost had my card cloned - Bank disappointed me

Flashfly

I recently nearly had my card cloned by one of those ATM cash machine scams where the crooks place a card reader over the slot and a mini camera over the keypad to catch your PIN number. With your swiped card information and your PIN they can make a copy of your card and withdraw your money.

I had already put the card in the machine when I spotted the funny looking box that housed the camera. Luckily I hadn't yet put my PIN number in. I withdrew my card and ripped both the camera unit and card reader off the machine. I called the Police, my bank, and the bank who owned the cash machine. The machine was installed in a shop and not close to any branch.

I was impressed by the response of the Police and that of my bank, but the response of the bank that owned the cash machine disappointed me. They seemed uninterested and barely took enough information to determine the location of the machine.

Should they have not taken more of an interest? Will they be chasing this up and speaking to the Police about it? Did I not just save their customers from getting ripped off?

I am in two minds whether to try to speak to one of their senior fraud team about the issue but don't know how to proceed. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Flashfly.

jonesMUFCforever

Of course by ripping the card reader off the machine instead of reporting it to the police to arrange a covert operation to catch the criminals - they might not want to thank you!
Eric

realaledrinker

So who does own the machine? Most are not owned by 'the banks'.

karenj

Sorry to be a bit naive about this, but how do you know if you think your card is going to be cloned and a mini camera is placed to capture your PIN number ? I have now started putting my hand in front of the number keys before I put my PIN number in, but I really wouldn't know if the cashpoint had been tampered with. What should I be looking out for at the cashpoint machine? It's getting really worrying now, all this fraud.

Thanks.

Paul_Varjak

Flashfly wrote:

I withdrew my card and ripped both the camera unit and card reader off the machine.

Not a very good idea! What if the fraudster was nearby and keen to get his device back? And what about the fingerprints that may have been on the device?

A few years ago I went to my local Halifax and saw something apprently fitted to the card slot. I just thought it was something new about the machine. But everything else about the machine was the same. I did not know what it was and decided not to use the machine (I had not heard of these devices back then). Having recently seen a picture of one I now know what it was!

smokeysmate

I worry about this too, although anyone cloning my card wouldn't get much from me atm

I do know of someone that this happened to and he was taken for quite a large sum of money. Thankfully, he became aware of the problem pretty quickly after it happened and was able to put a stop to it.

Just *what* should we be looking for at the ATM?

karenj wrote:

Sorry to be a bit naive about this, but how do you know if you think your card is going to be cloned and a mini camera is placed to capture your PIN number ? I have now started putting my hand in front of the number keys before I put my PIN number in, but I really wouldn't know if the cashpoint had been tampered with. What should I be looking out for at the cashpoint machine? It's getting really worrying now, all this fraud.

Thanks.

deemy2004

ejones999 wrote:

Of course by ripping the card reader off the machine instead of reporting it to the police to arrange a covert operation to catch the criminals - they might not want to thank you!
Eric

If it were me I would yank it off also....

If the crooks were nearby I would take photos of them with either my camera or phone.

Rafter

While vigilanty action is very commendable, the police or your bank would not recommend touching the device.

These things cost the crooks quite a bit of money and they are often close by to collect the device before the risk that someone notices and reports it.

Putting your own life in danger is therefore not a sensible option and the advice is to call the police and the bank rather than tamper with the device and put yourself in danger.

R.

jockettuk

Rafter wrote:

While vigilanty action is very commendable, the police or your bank would not recommend touching the device.

These things cost the crooks quite a bit of money and they are often close by to collect the device before the risk that someone notices and reports it.

Putting your own life in danger is therefore not a sensible option and the advice is to call the police and the bank rather than tamper with the device and put yourself in danger.

R.

and in the meantime some poor other sod gets ripped off, someone who it could mean as to weather they eat that week or not.. if i got my card cloned (and i always check the machines i use before i put my card in) i would find it a real hardship that week..

bluesnice

can anyone post a link to a picture of one of these devises? I've never seen one.

thanks

waterbaby

I have never seen one, but I read that they have two tiny bits of metal, or was it plastic, protuding out of the card slot, as if to guide your card into it.

You can see them if you look really carefully.

Like I say I have never seen them, Flashfly is probably best placed to answer..