News & Events

Card skimming remains the most popular form of attack on ATMs and it shows no sign of subsiding. The FICO Card Alert Service noted that ATM skimming attacks rose 546 percent from 2014 to 2015, and that the number of compromised debit cards at U.S. ATMs and merchant card readers grew by 70 percent in 2016.

Convenience Stores a Favorite Target
More than 60 percent card compromises were at non-bank ATMs and convenience stores remained the location of the most frequently compromised non-bank ATMs. The average loss per card was approximately $600.

As quickly as their methods are discovered, ATM skimming criminals adapt and evolve, using more sophisticated techniques. These include devices that can be inserted inside the mouth of the ATM's card slot.

According to FICO Vice President of Fraud Solutions T.J. Horan, "(S)kimming technology and know-how have improved and are more accessible to the general population, so we will continue to see increases in compromises and the speed at which they occur."

Keeping Pace With the Criminals
Defeating ATM card skimmers requires vigilance and technology that evolves as quickly as the criminals. To protect your customers as well as your institution's reputation, Cummins Allison offers Dip and Motorized Card Readers that thwart the efforts of ATM card skimmers.

The Cummings Allison Dip and Motorized Card Readers automatically generate an electromagnetic field when an installed skimming device is detected. The field prevents the information on the customer's card to be read, but allows the ATM to operate normally.

Meanwhile, a built-in metal detector connects with a metal object attached to the card slot's bezel. If a skimming device interrupts the connection, the ATM is automatically shut down until the skimmer is removed. One the device is uninstalled, the ATM is reactivated without the need for a service technician.

A motorized reader accepts the card with an irregular stop-start motion that distorts the information on the card's magnetic strip, rendering it unreadable by the skimmer.

Other Cummings Allison Dip and Motorized Card Reader anti-skim technology includes an exclusive shutter design shape that prevents it from being forced open and prevents non-standard bank cards and card features from being inserted, and a special bezel and sensor designs that prevents skimmers from being attached to the reader or a false front from being installed. Finally, a detection sensor deactivates the ATM in the event of tampering.