Warning Bank ATM (Cash Machines) can be hacked

It has again come to light that organised crime is behind the resurgence in unauthorised modification or hacking of ATM machine belonging to many banks and building societies. This is happening worldwide and has been the cause of increasing concern to the police forces responsible for tackling this type of crime.

As can be seen in this series of photographs the criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to clone bank credit cards and debit cards.

Once fitted the device is not easy to detect by the casual observer. Credit card cloning using this method has become more widespread following the introduction of chip and pin cards which require the credit card holder to enter a pin when making purchases in person.

As you can see in the second picture the card reader has been affixed to the front of the bank ATM machine and matches the original ATM machine very well.

Could you spot the difference? Ok so you can see how the criminals clone the card, but it is virtually useless without the pin number.

Say hello to secret weapon number two ! A hidden camera cunningly hidden in the base of a leaflet dispenser. Would you have spotted it before it recorded you entering your pin number into the ATM machine ?

The last picture shows both devices fitted and operational. The card slot panel records details of the card's magnetic strip when it is inserted, at the same time sending a wireless message to the camera to record the pin details. The criminals then need to then retrieve both panels from the front of the machine in order to access and use the illegally-obtained information.

In order to avoid being stung by these ATM hackers, we would recommend that you take the following precautions:

• Always physically check of the outside of an ATM before you insert your card. Always report anything you think is unusual or any strange looking attachments to the bank staff or store manager .

• Cover your hand when you type using your spare hand or your body so that any camera sited on the machine or in a nearby building using a zoom lens cannot see you pin number being entered.

• Avoid using ATM's when suspicious people are hanging around. If possible always use ATM's located inside banks.

• Regularly check your bank account regularly so that you can spot any unauthorised transactions quickly and contact the bank