What Is ATM Skimming Crime That Can 'Suck' Customer Money And How To Prevent It

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The crime of wiretapping or skimming is one of the crimes in the banking sector, which until now has no solution and causes unmitigated losses.

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) noted that skimming activities were first identified in 2009 in Woodland Hills, California, which was carried out by using a device that was attached to the mouth of an ATM machine with a device called a skimmer. The mode of operation is to duplicate data from the magnetic stripe on the customer's ATM card.

Meanwhile, based on data from Bank Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC) NISP, losses due to skimming crimes in the United States reach 1 billion US dollars per year, as well as in Indonesia which has also caused losses of up to billions of rupiah.

To note, one of the worst skimming cases in the country just happened some time ago where a bank customer suddenly lost all of his savings in the amount of Rp128 million and when investigated, it turned out that there was a legitimate transaction from the account outside the victim's knowledge.

It is certain that this case occurred because of skimming. Until now, there are still not many people who know more about the definition, techniques that are commonly used, to efforts to avoid skimming.

Therefore, the following is a summary of the Bank OCBC NISP Analysis Team regarding skimming techniques and how to protect themselves from one of the biggest criminal acts in the financial sector, quoted from Antara, Wednesday 18 August.

ATM skimming techniques

Skimming is a high-level crime that requires expert-level intelligence and technical skills. Therefore, only certain people can do it.

So far, there are several known skimming techniques, namely:

1. Using a card reader

The most common skimming technique used by syndicates is to stick a card reader or card reader that is so thin that you can't even see it in the mouth of the ATM.

When you insert a card into an ATM that has a card reader inserted, all data from debit or credit numbers to PINs will be entered into the card reader.

Once you leave, the card reader will be released and your data will be in danger.

2. Hidden camera installation

Another skimming technique is to attach a micro camera to the top of the PIN board or ATM mouth that can detect all your activities, from entering your PIN to credit card numbers.

Even so, skimming techniques through hidden cameras still tend to be less dangerous than skimming techniques using a card reader, because PIN and card number data retrieval is not done automatically.

3. Fake ATM mouth

The shape and size of fake ATM mouthpieces are usually exactly the same as the original ATM mouths, so many people cannot recognize the ATM mouths that they use double.

This skimming crime was rife in Indonesia a few years ago.

4. Additional layer on ATM PIN button

Syndicate skimming through the addition of an additional layer on the PIN button is usually carried out in conjunction with the micro camera in the mouth of the ATM.

Thus, when the microcamera retrieves the ATM card number, an additional layer of fake PIN will record your PIN number.

How to protect yourself from ATM skimming

The effects of skimming are very dangerous, especially if you rely on an account to store large amounts of funds. To be protected from skimming crimes like this, there are several ways you can do, namely:

1. Check the ATM mouth before inserting the card

Before inserting the ATM card, pay attention to whether there are irregularities or strange objects around the mouth of the ATM.

If possible, peek into the mouth of the ATM card and see if there are any foreign objects stuck there.

2. Observe the surrounding environment when using the ATM

The next way to protect yourself from ATM skimming is to be vigilant when using an ATM, especially when entering a PIN number.

Make it a habit to pay attention to your surroundings whether there are people with strange behavior, for example using the ATM machine for too little time or going in and out of the ATM repeatedly.

3. Pay attention to the ATM machine as a whole

The next step you can take to avoid skimming is to pay attention to all parts of the ATM machine.

When entering the ATM box, do a thorough check of the ATM, starting from the cable, PIN board, to the ATM mouth and make sure everything is in normal condition or is not plastered with strange objects.

4. Change ATM PIN regularly

So that your account is always safe, don't forget to change your ATM PIN regularly or at least once every three months.

Never use easy-to-trace password combinations, such as date of birth, cell phone number, and ID number.

5. Use an ATM near a branch office or be protected by a security guard

In addition to changing your PIN regularly, you can try to protect yourself from ATM skimming by using ATMs that are protected by security guards or other security personnel.

Generally, the safest ATMs are located around branch offices because they are guarded for up to 24 hours.

In addition to maximum security, using an ATM near the branch office will make it easier for you to report irregularities at the ATM because bank security officers will always be ready to help you check the irregularities.

6. Change ATM Card to Chip Card

The last effort you can do to avoid the crime of skimming is to replace the magnetic stripe ATM card into a chip card.

The chip technology has multiple layers of protection to protect your data from being recorded via a card reader.

In addition, the data in the chip ATM card cannot be duplicated because it is set to only be owned and accessed by one person.

Those are the efforts that we can try to protect ourselves from the crime of ATM skimming. Don't forget to spread these self-protection methods to your family and relatives so that skimming cases in Indonesia can be minimized in the future.