New breed of super-stealthy ATM skimmer uncovered

We have touched on the ways to protect yourself from card skimmers at gas stations, but one would think that you are at least a little safe when you take cash out your bank - this razor thin, stealth skimmer shatters that illusion.

The bank that shared these photos asked to remain anonymous, noting that the incident is still under investigation. But according to an executive at this financial institution, the skimmer below was discovered inside the ATM’s card slot by a bank technician after the ATM’s “fatal error” alarm was set off, warning that someone was likely tampering with the cash machine.



“It was discovered in the ATM’s card slot and the fraudsters didn’t manage to withdraw it,” the bank employee said. “We didn’t capture any hidden camera [because] they probably took it. There were definitely no PIN pad [overlays]. In all skimming cases lately we see through the videos that fraudsters capture the PIN through [hidden] cameras.”

These devices are getting so slim that it's now virtually impossible to tell whether an ATM has been hacked to glean you card details. The advice, as ever, remains the same: if anything ever looks even slightly suspicious at an ATM, don't use it. It's just annoying that spotting the problem is getting increasingly difficult.

Sources: Krebs on Security and Gizmodo