More and more often we use a plastic card to receive salaries, pensions, scholarships. "Plastic" has become a convenient and familiar means of payment and a tool for accumulating savings. But with the growing popularity of cards, the number of fraudsters who want to profit by withdrawing money from the accounts of the holders also grows.
Today we present Top 5 methods of fraud with plastic cards... Knowing what tactics are used by attackers, it is much easier to protect your savings.
5. Making a duplicate card
Fraudsters make “blanks” - counterfeit cards, on which they put information from the magnetic stripe of the original card. To read the information, a so-called skimmer is installed on the ATM - an overlay on the reader, into the slot of which we place the card.
Most modern skimmers are only 0.2mm thick, so they are not easy to spot. You can protect yourself from reading and copying information by purchasing a chip card, which is more secure than a magnetic one.
4. Using sticky tape for bills
Dexterous crooks put sticky tape into the cash slot. The cardholder tries to get cash, but the bills do not come out, because are stuck to a strip of tape or other Velcro. The client, without waiting for the money, leaves to call the bank branch and deal with the situation. And the scammers return to the ATM and take out the sticky tape with the bills.
You can protect yourself from such fraud if you withdraw cash only from trusted ATMs installed in bank branches and other closed guarded premises.
3. Receiving PIN-code by SMS
A common method of fraud is sending SMS on behalf of the servicing bank with a request to send a PIN and CVC code, which is used to confirm payment in online stores. In some cases, a link comes from an SMS, allegedly to the bank's website, where it is required to enter data on the card.
Having received such a message, you must immediately contact the bank, since credit organizations never ask for PIN codes from plastic cards.
2. Reading data when paying for goods on the Internet
When making a purchase in the global network, we enter all the necessary data - card number, name, expiration date, as well as CVC code. By hacking into store websites, attackers obtain the cardholder's data and start spending money at their own discretion.
To protect against fraud, it is necessary to use 3D-Secure technology, when you need to enter the code received on your mobile phone to complete any payment. If fraudsters try to pay for something with someone else's card, the owner will receive a message with a confirmation code. Thus, cybercriminals will not be able to complete the payment, and the cardholder will understand that the data ended up with the fraudsters.
1. "Lebanese loop"
The fraudster makes a "pocket" from photographic film, which he places inside the ATM reader.The client inserts the card into the ATM, dials his PIN-code, but no money is issued, the ATM “swears” that it does not see the card, and the card itself does not come out of the reader.
A fraudster who allegedly happened to be nearby will try to help, deduce the PIN code, and then advise you to urgently go to the bank branch and write a statement so that the card is withdrawn from the ATM. The client leaves, the fraudster quietly removes the Lebanese loop along with the card, and then withdraws all funds.
This scenario is common on street ATMs located away from bank branches.