The ’60s ushered in a lot of new ideas, one of which was the ATM. The Automatic Teller Machine came on the scene 50 years ago this past week. (Barclays, June 27, 1967)
Video on the history of the ATM from Barclays.
Brian Krebs has done extensive research on ATM fraud. His recent blog post at Krebsonsecurity.com reviews a bit of the history of the ATM and looks closer at the types of fraud that take place through these money machines.
Brian explains that most skimmers can still be foiled by covering the PIN pad with your hand while enter the pin. He also offers helpful advice for the holiday weekend:
You are far more likely to encounter ATM skimmers over the weekend when the bank is closed (skimmer thieves especially favor long holiday weekends when the banks are closed on Monday). Also, if you have the choice between a stand-alone, free-standing ATM and one that is installed at a fixed location (particularly a bank) opt for the fixed-location machine, which is typically more secure against physical tampering.
Top: “Deep Insert” skimmers. Below: ATM “shimming” devices (Source: NCR)
To help protect yourself, more info can be found in the “ATM Fraud Inspection Guide” published by NCR here.
More detail from Brian Krebs about various skimmers can be found here.