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Video shows you how to spot an ATM tampered with by a fraudster

ATM Skimmer
Tony Blake from the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU) shows you how fraudsters can tamper with a cashpoint and what to do if you fall victim.

Tony told the Telegraph “cashpoint cons can be impossible to spot until you have become a victim”.

“If your card does become trapped, assume that it is the work of criminals. Cashpoints very rarely malfunction. It's more likely that a trapping device has been attached to the card slot, which uses a razor blade or similar to stop your card from coming out again."

“Once they know your Pin – obtained via a secret camera or person spying nearby – they can spend on your card.  If you have a high bank balance this can be highly lucrative, the criminal will simply go to the shops and buy 15 iPads, or whatever they want, and your money will very quickly be gone."

The DCPCU is a special police unit that consists of police officers, drawn from the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police Service, who work alongside industry fraud investigators. 

Protect yourself from cash point fraud

  • Always look closely at the card insertion point of a cash machine before using it. If it looks like it may have been tampered with, do not use it.
  • If you realise the machine has been tampered with after you have inserted your card, call your bank while still standing at the cash machine if it is safe to do so.
  • Always shield your hand when entering your PIN into a cash point keypad.

Read more on the Telegraph’s website.

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To report a fraud and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or use our online fraud reporting tool.

 

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