Surprisingly Customers Become Victims Of Lost Rp135 Million, BCA Shares How To Secure Transactions At ATMs From Skimming: Change PIN Periodically!

Illustration. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Not long ago, a BCA Bank customer became a victim of skimming which caused him to lose IDR 135 million worth of money. Skimming usually targets ATM users as objects of theft.

The disadvantage of this method is a sudden loss of balance in accounts with minimal trace history. Therefore, skimming is an important crime for ATM users to avoid.

In response to this, Executive Vice President Secretariat & Corporate Communication of BCA, Hera F. Haryn, appealed to customers to change the PIN on their ATM cards regularly to avoid skimming.

"We urge customers to be able to change their PIN regularly. This will prevent skimming crimes even though the ATM PIN code has been recorded by skimming actors," she said in her statement, quoted on Tuesday, March 29.

BCA on its official website also shares ways to avoid skimming practices in addition to changing your PIN regularly. BCA appeals to immediately report to Halo BCA service if you find suspicious devices in ATMs and ATM areas when making transactions.

The public is also asked to cover their hands when entering their PIN when transacting through ATMs.

"By implementing this step, the skimmer will find it difficult to record hand movements while pressing the ATM PIN. This step can also minimize the possibility of other people/spy cams seeing your PIN," BCA wrote on its official website.

Finally, customers are required to replace the card with a chip-based card. This has been done effectively for all BCA customers since December 31, 2021.

BCA claims that by using a chip-based card, Debit or Credit card data is safer because the chip used already applies data encryption technology.

"Even if detected by skimming tools, the recorded data is only in the form of codes and abstract symbols that cannot be interpreted," said Hera.

Hera also added that his party will carry out operations in accordance with the provisions of the regulator and banking authorities.

"We can also convey that BCA as a national banking institution always carries out banking operations in accordance with the provisions of the regulator and banking authority," she said.

Skimming is a method of data theft that requires special tools, namely skimmers. The shape of this skimmer is the mouth of an ATM card slot.