ATMIA Launches Global Anti Skimming Forum 

The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) (www.atmia.com) today announced the launch of an international Anti Skimming Forum to counteract one of the industry’s most recurrent fraud
threats.

“Just over 4 500 of the 11 360 ATM crimes recorded on our global Cognito crime data management system for the 2005-2008 period involve skimming,” Mike Lee, CEO of ATMIA, commented. “It’s probably the most widespread crime type we face.”

Skimming is defined as 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.

The mission of the new forum is to measure the global impact of skimming through the pooling and analysis of data and to encourage target hardening. It is also to write best practices for preventing and reducing skimming. This will include a global skimming classification system. It is envisaged that there will be a lobbying role to increase sentences for convictions for skimming in order to create a stronger deterrent effect.

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.