The devious new trick ATM skimmers are using to steal your PIN
ATM skimmers are using a devious new trick to swipe the PIN details of innocent New Zealanders, and they can do it without even having to lay a hand on your card.
The newest scam comes in the form of an infrared camera, which picks up the heat signature of objects through the lens. While this technology isn’t new, it has been slowly perfected and shrunken over the years for nefarious purposes.
Jet propulsion laboratory engineer Mark Rober explains just how dangerous these devices can be in the video below, and the simple but important things you have to do if you want to keep yourself and your bank account safe.
As you can see in the video, scam artists can easily use their devices to figure out which keys you’ve pressed when keying in your PIN code at the ATM machine.
And as Rober explains, outsmarting the scammers is simple
“When you’re punching in your PIN on the key pad, rest some of your other fingers across the other keys. This way, you’ll throw off the infrared image and a thief won’t be able to distinguish which numbers you pressed,” he explains.