Even though banks have been coming up with ways to render debit and credit card usage safer for the masses, every now and then we hear of some untoward incident where people are robbed of their hard-earned money. And this time again it is around a dozen people of Delhi who lost a whopping some of Rs. 10 lakh after having used their ATM.

As per a Times of India report, these individuals used ATM in East Delhi region and the amount was withdrawn from different ATM outlets in East Delhi and Noida within 12-15 minutes in some quick attempts. And this incident of unauthorized ATM withdrawal was executed despite the ATM being very well with the bank account holder. The amount was withdrawn in large amounts even before the victims could call up the customer care or block their respective cards.

So, how the transaction was done- ATM skimming is suspected to be used for such fraudulent transactions.

What is a skimmer and card skimming?

A skimmer is the device used in the fraudulent activity and this device which is deployed together with a nearby pin-hole camera or overlay equipments on to the slot wherein ATM is inserted reads as well as records the confidential information i.e. magnetic stripe on cards and the camera even takes note of the person who enters PIN. The skimmer helps in the cloning the information on the blank card

Card skimming on the rise: Do's

1. First and foremost check the ATM machine for any tampering or if its keypad seems different or thicker with some additional device.

2. Give a gentle nudge to the slot where you are about to swipe your card as it will be removed then.

3. Check pinholes on walls or above the keyboard where the camera might be fixed.

4. Also, remember to make use of your body and hands to cover the keypad while entering ATM PIN.\

Dont's

As and when you enter the ATM kiosk, do not allow enter any one to enter the premises

Do not hold on to the same PIN for long and continue to change the PIN from time to time.

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