Here’s how to spot a card-cloning device at your ATM

Some useful information to know.

The most popular means involves a small card scanning device that's added to the card-slot on the ATM. What happens is that this device then sends the information wirelessly to a nearby receiver. When when coupled with a small camera that's placed to see you enter your PIN, or  a fake keypad that's placed over the real one, the scammers can get all the info they need. Reddit-er Bendeton took to the internet to let folks know of a scanning device he discovered while using an ATM.

I can honestly thank Reddit for this...

Bendeton went on to say that he shook the device, found it to be loose, and proceeded to pull the entire thing out of the ATM. However, another person weighed in on the thread, claiming to be an ATM repair person, before proceeding to give their tips on what to do if you think an ATM might be compromised. "ATM Repair guy here. I'm not usually one to hijack a comment, but here are some tips. As stated in other comments, check to see if the card reader seems janky. If it's loose, if it looks like anyone has tampered with it or it is damaged or something about it just looks off, don't use it. On a Diebold ATM, all of the previous still stands but you should also look for green flashing LEDs on the insert for the card reader. If they are red or nonvisible, do not use the ATM. Tell the bank that they have an issue and either they will check it or a guy like me will show up to check it out. If you believe you have found a skimmer and you are not at a bank branch or they are closed, LEAVE THE PREMISE, CALL THE COPS AND DO NOT REMOVE IT LIKE OP [Original poster] DID. Your finger prints will be on it which will make it more difficult for the police to recover bad guy prints. Good job. But beyond that, the way these things work is that there is a person nearby watching a bluetooth connection on a laptop. They probably see you. This is a quick way to get mugged. Good luck and stay safe, folks." Here's hoping that this information can help.