my pin number is 7972

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

The other day a friend of mine went to get money out of Barclays bank cash point.
By chance he noticed that a plastic strip was attached to the machine. Looking closer he saw there was a small hole looking down at the key pad.

A micro camera transmitting people's pin numbers.

The bank recommended that he should look for anything added to any ATM he uses, covering the card number as its inserted and covering the key presses for pin numbers.

I hate to be one of these people that sends scaremongering e-mails out to everyone in their address going "WOMEN YOU WILL BE ABUSED BY E-MAIL IF YOU OWN A PURSE!!!  forward this to everyone you know now go on quick!!"

but has anyone had anything similar?

by responding to this message your security mechanisms will be breached and abused.  all your money will be drained away - regardless of colouration or currency.  (your home may be at risk if you do not keep up repayments).

[Lady Beany]

There IS a scam where a reader is attached to the underside of the ATM where you put your card in.  My boyfriend had around £300 wiped out of his account in the space of a couple of hours.  

PIN was noted, as was the card number by the reader.  This was then transmitted to some twat with the gizmo which gives out the details, probably standing about 20ft behind him.  Not sure exactly HOW they got the cash, but they did.

[Morrisfan82]

I always hold my wallet in such a way that it obscures the keypad when I'm typing in my PIN number.

But those box junction things they've painted on the floor by ATMs are fucking useless - they should be wider than deep, not the other way round. I was waiting for the person in front to finish using a machine the other day, and I realised that by not standing inside the yellow box behind them, I was basically standing in the road, not to mention getting in the way of passing pedestrians. So I ended up standing to the side of the box instead. Thus giving me a clear view of the numeric keypad. Nice one guys.

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

This was then transmitted to some criminal with the gizmo which gives out the details, probably standing about 20ft behind him.  Not sure exactly HOW they got the cash, but they did.

I picture the contraption John Connor uses in the second Terminator film.
a credit card shaped bit of plastic connected to one of those flat printer cables linked to a laptop.

[no_offenc]

My sister's debit card got skimmed by some prick in liverpool the other week, they took all of her wages (about £130, but she's only 17 so y'know, it's a fair bit like) and she had a load of hassle from Barclays over it because they didn't believe it wasn't her who withdrew the money...one check over tapes later, and they were happy and nice again.  Bastards.

I think it works by copying the strip on your card and then copying it to a blank, or something, and then they can put the card in (usually it'll read the pin as well) and nick cash.

[hencole]

I swing my arms round wildly shouting' STOP FUCKING LOOKING AT MY PIN NUMBER YA BUNCH OF CUNTS'. However when using a cash point I just put my body in the way of anyone behind me.

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

I swing my arms round wildly shouting' STOP FUCKING LOOKING AT MY PIN NUMBER YA BUNCH OF CUNTS'. However when using a cash point I just put my body in the way of anyone behind me.

I suppose you must be on edge a bit after sleeping on the floor all night.

[Almost Yearly]

Surely the whole point of the floor is that you can't fall off. There is no edge. Dur.


You could type your PIN very very very fast, like Data. I've been using sleight of hand ever since I read about those micro-cameras. I just kind of hover my hand vaguely over the pad, dabbing different fingers down on different keys, not always hard enough to register. Not that I'm all that paranoid, but it feels good. Like I'm in a tense action thriller.

[Timmay]

There's two main scams with cash cards, and cashpoints; either a contraption is placed over the bit where you put your card in, which can read the stripe/card number. This still relies on either someone behind you watching you tap in your PIN, or a camera set up watching you tap in your PIN. The less sophisticated method, is for someone to simply watch you tap in your PIN from over your shoulder, then they mug you, nick your card, and get as much cash out as quickly as possible.

[5 Knuckle Shuffle]

Surely the whole point of the floor is that you can't fall off. There is no edge. Dur.


You could type your PIN very very very fast, like Data. I've been using sleight of hand ever since I read about those micro-cameras. I just kind of hover my hand vaguely over the pad, dabbing different fingers down on different keys, not always hard enough to register. Not that I'm all that paranoid, but it feels good. Like I'm in a tense action thriller.

Yeah, well it's not such a tense thriller for the person behind, waiting to use the machine. It's more like a fucking annoying cunt who won't hurry up and stop pissing about type of soap.

[Morrisfan82]

You could type your PIN very very very fast, like Data. I've been using sleight of hand ever since I read about those micro-cameras. I just kind of hover my hand vaguely over the pad, dabbing different fingers down on different keys, not always hard enough to register. Not that I'm all that paranoid, but it feels good. Like I'm in a tense action thriller.

Yeh, right up to the point where you mistype due to the keypad being clogged up with vomit and pasty, press cancel and try again three bloody times. By which time the perpetrators not only know your card number, PIN number, expiry date, branch sort code and stupid middle name, but also have the indispensible information that you are a cackhanded showoff with a penchant for 80s films about hacking.

[Almost Yearly]

8-/

Well it was a controversial post I suppose.

Nope, I'm very smooth and dextrous with it actually. In fact, covert PIN typing is very much like mak...

[Morrisfan82]

8-/

Well it was a contrOversial post I suppose.

Heh, wasn't meant to be venomous. If it was it's only because I used to do it, like a great big tosser. Most keypads these days aren't responsive enough to get away with a low mistype rate, so I no longer bother pretending to be Matthew Broderick.

smooth and dextrous

That phrase makes me think of Horlicks for some reason.

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

You could type your PIN very very very fast, like Data. I've been using sleight of hand ever since I read about those micro-cameras. I just kind of hover my hand vaguely over the pad, dabbing different fingers down on different keys, not always hard enough to register. Not that I'm all that paranoid, but it feels good. Like I'm in a tense action thriller.

..and the machine delivers your card.  the seventeen of diamonds.  your card.

the receipt has a grinning rabbit printed out in ASCII characters.

[morgs]

This is the sort of thing that makes me get nervous...  I try to change mine relatively often, but it always end of being my year of birth or some relatives.  Or a famous date in history.  I bet a lot of people have very predicatble numbers if you know them well enough.

[Peking O]

...it always ends up being my year of birth.

Fortunately my 'birth record' is Rod Stewart - Maggie May - which makes me feel a bit better

*fights off fellow verbwhores on way to nearest ATM*

[terminallyrelaxed]

This was on the TV the other night - they get plastic cable duct (with a hole in and a camera) and tape it to the underside of the recess) and video your pin number going in. They need to clone the card though don't they - there was a spate of things being glued over the card slots so you had to put your card in, and it had a loop of ribbon fed inside the cashpoint machine so your card would get stuck - they then just lift the whole contraption off, pulling your card out.
The current scam is for someone to go 'excuse me is this your tenner here on the floor' which most people would glance at, while someone grabs your card out of the slot, swipes it with their portable reader, and pust it back for you to take out again, none the wiser....

[Bilko]

When are the banks actually going to start checking the cash machines in their banks at least twice a day for such faud devices, instead of waiting for some cunt head to nick money from one of their valued 'customers'.

[weirdbeard]

If possible I use the machines in the inside of the banks themselves rather than on the outside.   Seem to less queues at those ones as well, which is an extra bonus.

[blue jammer]

Just don't use them, instead go and get cashback from a supermarket, easy.

[morgs]

...it always ends up being my year of birth.

Fortunately my 'birth record' is Rod Stewart - Maggie May - which makes me feel a bit better

*fights off fellow verbwhores on way to nearest ATM*

Bollocks!  I feel really nervous now!!! Is Peking O the leader of some secret crime syndicate?

[Marty McFly]

someone took apart one of the card reader jobbies. have a look

nowadays, i always run my fingers over the card slot to check there isn't something in there. what more can you do, really?

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

The current scam is for someone to go 'excuse me is this your tenner here on the floor' which most people would glance at, while someone grabs your card out of the slot, swipes it with their portable reader, and pust it back for you to take out again, none the wiser....

If it's that easy - I'm gonna have a go.