ATM Crime Data: Skimming Dominates as Cash Trapping Gains Ground

As of the end of August, the CCMIS (Crisis & Crime Management Intelligence System) contained 64,487 reported ATM crime incidents from 4,103 reports, providing the industry with a valuable resource for tracking crime trends and emerging threats.

In the U.S., fraud has remained the most common type of ATM crime over the past six months, with skimming and card data compromise accounting for 89.6% of all reported criminal activity.

While ATM theft continues to occur, particularly in larger cities, these incidents are unfortunately not always reported—making industry-wide reporting even more important.

Cash Trapping on the Rise

Dispenser jackpotting has declined to approximately 1.2% of reported attacks, while cash trapping is emerging as a growing concern in the U.S.

Cash trapping is the most common type of ATM fraud globally, and we are beginning to see more instances reported in the U.S. The concept is relatively simple: a device is placed over the ATM's cash dispenser to prevent the customer from receiving the cash. The customer may assume the ATM malfunctioned, while the criminal later returns to collect the trapped money.

Frequent ATM inspections can help identify and prevent these types of attacks.

Help Strengthen the Industry's Intelligence

If you know about an ATM crime incident, report it to CCMIS and help others learn from it, too.

Even non-members can report an ATM crime incident to CCMIS, and incidents can be reported anonymously. Both the exact location of the crime and the identity of the person reporting it can remain confidential.

Not sure how to report an incident? Visit the ATMIA Resource Library and search for “crime webinar” to learn how to create an alias, search the database, and analyze ATM crime trends.