Posted by David M. on April 22, 2003 at 16:03:05:
There is an upsetting problem that is increasing in frequency in Ukraine. More and more people using their ATM cards are being robbed. When they insert their ATM card, the machine won’t work and sometimes the machine even eats the card. Later, the account holder discovers that his checking account has been drained. So far, most of the banks in Ukraine have been blaming the victim for the problem.
Criminals pull this fraud off using various devices, the most common of which is called a Lebanese Loop. This is a plastic sleeve put in the ATM’s slot for cards. It prevents the machine from returning the card to the user. When the user punches in his PIN code, that process is recorded on a small digital video camera the thief has mounted somewhere near the ATM. After the user walks away in disgust, the thief recovers the user’s card and the recording of the user entering his PIN.
Other variations of this scam are accomplished with devices known as Wedges and Overlays. These items are generally more expensive and larger than the Lebanese Loop. They therefore are currently less common. They use data recorders to capture a user’s PIN code while he enters it on the keypad in a store or at an ATM. With a Wedge or Overlay, the customer will often receive the money he wanted and his card will be returned so he doesn’t even know he has lost anything. However, the Overlay/Wedge has not only recorded the user’s PIN number, it has captured a digital image of the user’s ATM card. With this data, the criminal then creates an identical copy of the user’s ATM card and with the user’s PIN number, helps himself to everything in the unsuspecting victim’s bank account.
What does all this mean to you? Well, since all of these devices are all available over the Internet, your chances of getting hit are greater than you might suspect. When you enter your PIN number, try to shield it from view as much as possible. If your card gets stuck in an ATM, don’t just walk away and leave it. If it is at night and you can't get help from a teller or attendant, poke around until you pry your card out and then tell the bank what happened first thing the next day. Be sure to document the time and person to whom who you reported the incident. Also, change your PIN code as soon as possible. If the ATM had a camera, ask that the film be retrieved and stored. If money in your account starts to disappear, that film may help you prove that someone had tampered with the ATM.
With respect to Wedges and Overlays, since these devices don’t tip you off that your card and PIN numbers have been captured by someone who intends to rob you, there is not much you can do immediately after the fact. Generally, you will only learn that something bad has happened when money in your account begins to disappear. Just be careful about where you use your ATM card and be firm with the owner of the ATM if it doesn’t offer to reimburse you. If your affected account is in an America bank and that bank still refuses to reimburse you, contact the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. And finally, be sure that you go over your bank statements carefully each month. In America, an account holder’s right to a refund lapses after 60 days.
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