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Fake ATM Fraud Expose

Posted by michael on from the you-pays-your-money-and-you-takes-your-chances dept.

santos_douglas writes "Forget ATMs coming under attack by worms, MSNBC has this article about Dateline NBC's investigative report into fake ATMs and other ATM related scams. ATM frauds are a clever combination of social engineering and hardware hacking. The most sophisticated thefts involve the purchase and setup of real ATMs that actually do dispense cash to avoid suspicion, but are altered to save both the card's magnetic signature and the customers PIN, which are later added to false cards and used to empty bank accounts at real ATMS. The 'ATM gang' profiled managed to purchase and setup 50+ machines and steal over $4 million from over 21,000 customers. The machines can be purchased legitimately and hooked into the banking network with no more than a regular bank account. Less sophisticated attacks include building and attaching false fronts to existing ATMs to collect info, and using covert cameras to collect PINs from afar. The articles has some handy tips for avoiding scams."

7 of 478 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Do we even HAVE editors? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    The 'ATM gang' profiled managed to purchase and setup 50+ machines and steal over $4 million from over 21,000 customers.
    That part is correct grammar. It's saying the 'ATM gang' profiled (in the article) managed to purchase...
  2. Re:help needed! by psykocrime · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I was thinking of buying a nice pistol for protecting myself and my 2nd amendment rights. Currently, I'm leaning towards a taurus .38 or .357 (double action), though a taurus .44 or .45 pistol is also a possibility. I'm also looking at a berreta 1911 pistol.

    Anyone have any thoughts on what they'd go with?

    Conventional logic is that a 1911 is too heavy for regular carry, and too big to properly conceal, if you're going the "conceal carry" route.

    A .357 or .44 is probably overkill for street self-defense. The stopping power is nice, but the recoil is a little on the high side, and when you figure in the adrenaline involved in a self-defense situation + muzzle recoil, you're probably not going to be real accurate with one of those things, unless you practice A LOT.

    I wouldn't go 9mm though, too many times I've read about thugs getting shot repeatedly with 9mm and still continuing to attack. See the famous Miami / FBI shootout stuff for more... long story short, the FBI used to carry 9mm's until some crazy doped up fucker killed 2 or 3 FBI agents after getting capped several times with a 9mm.

    So what would I go with? A nice automatic in .40 S&W, or maybe a .357 Mag auto, but loaded with .38 Special rounds (yes, you can safely load a .357 Mag with .38 Special rounds). Either one should be available in a size and weight that's comfortable to carry and small enough to conceal.

    Other than that, I'd go with a 1911 in .45 ACP, despite the "conventional logic" stuff.

    --
    // TODO: Insert Cool Sig
  3. Re:help needed! by psykocrime · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Here's some more info on the history of the Miami Shootout and the emergence of the .40 S&W...

    --
    // TODO: Insert Cool Sig
  4. Pet Peeve Alert! by ml10422 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    "Setup", "login", "logout", "logon", "logout" are nouns.
    "Set up", "log in", "log out", "log on", "log out" are verbs.

  5. Re:Stop with the Racism by jellybear · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Are you saying Simpsons is racist? Because Simpsons happens to be my favorite show. So watch it, buster

  6. Re:Stop with the Racism by tomstdenis · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Backing down? I never stepped up!!!

    I really do hate their habits. I'm just not burning crosses with a nazi emblem and a "I beat jews" t-shirt.

    Tom

    --
    Someday, I'll have a real sig.
  7. Re:Two tips by emilng · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    GNU's Not Unix Not Unix Not Unix