ATMIA publishes best practices for preventing skimming

The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) (www.atmia.com) today announced the publication of its best practices for preventing ATM skimming.

This month, the PCI Security Standards Council released requirements for prevention of skimming at Point of Sale devices.

"The ATM is exceptionally safe and convenient to use," commented Mike Lee, CEO of ATMIA, " but that doesn't mean there are no threats. Skimming is the one we most need to counter." 

Skimming is the unauthorized capture of magnetic stripe information by modifying the hardware or software of a payment device, or through the use of a separate card reader. Skimming is often accompanied by the capture of customer PIN data.

"While ATM security has been steadily improving over the last decade thanks in part to standards the ATM Industry Association has been developing and publishing, there has also been in an increase global organized crime targeting ATMs for illicit gains," explained Mike Urban, FICO's Sr. Director, Fraud Solutions and a leading industry expert on skimming. "This manual is the next logical step in protecting consumers and resisting organized criminals."

One of the authors of the new manual, Douglas Russell, Director of DFR Risk Management Ltd, has compiled its international classification system of skimming devices and methods in order to give the worldwide industry a tool for understanding the range of possible types of attack.

Lee believes more can be done in terms of educating customers to protect their PINs by covering the hand used to key in the PIN at the ATM, in order to help prevent illegal PIN capture. This simple measure alone would significantly reduce the success rate of skimming attacks.

"Educating the customer on detection and prevention is a critical component in reducing the global threat of ATM skimming," Jeffery Miller of Edge One Inc, another contributing author of the anti skimming best practices, said.