PH banks warn all automated teller machine (ATM) users to stay alert and curious every time they withdraw money in ATMs by inserting their bank cards. The alert has been raised upon discovery that an international syndicate has successfully siphoned money from affected bank accounts through card duplication and pin (personal identification number) capture.
The said "card-skimming" operation, which adapted sophisticated technology, started in 2011 and reached highs in the end of 2012.
"The syndicate surreptitiously installs card readers on ATM machines, just on top of the slot where you (insert) your card. To the untrained eye, you will think this is just part of the machine," BDO Unibank President Nestor Tan said.
"At the same time, they install minute cameras on top which records the client's keystrokes when he enters his PIN. Within a few hours, they can have a duplicate card and withdraw money from your account," he added.
Currently, banks have installed fraud detection inhibitors which appear in the form of green plastic device. These further disallow insertion of card readers.
According to Mike Bernabe, Expressnet VP for Operations, the ATM card scammers are said to have originated from Taiwan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Bulgaria.
