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When using an ATM to withdraw cash or to check available funds, there’s a number of things you can do to ensure safe access to your account. These include covering the keypad when entering your PIN, checking no one suspicious is standing nearby, and looking the ATM over to see if it has been tampered with. However, none of those steps can help you avoid the latest threat to your card’s security: shimmers.-Credit Card Security
You’ve probably heard of a skimmer before. Skimmers are used to swipe and read the magnetic strip on a card and criminals have found novel ways to add them to ATMs. For example, they construct a new front for an ATM and stick it over the top of the real one. Some even integrate a camera to try and record your PIN (which is why you should always cover your hand when typing it in).
Skimmers work but are bulky and relatively easy to spot. Shimmers are different. They take the form of a very thin card with an embedded microchip and flash storage which is slotted inside the card reader. You cannot tell the shimmer is inserted, and it doesn’t stop cards from being used in the machine as normal. Continue reading