Cash Trapping / Transaction Reversal Fraud / Denomination Fraud

Cash trapping continued to be reported in Europe throughout March. The types of trap included those with adhesive tape used to prevent some of the cash being retracted. Other traps utilized a spring loaded device commonly referred to as a mouse trap to retain the cash when presented.

Leaving Transaction Live / Stuck Key Fraud

Incidents of glue being used to sabotage the ATM keyboard (stuck key fraud) were reported in the USA during March. With consumers unable to complete or cancel transactions via the keyboard, the suspects completed the transactions once the victims had left the ATM.

Card Trapping / Card Theft / Distraction / Card Swapping

Card trapping in Europe continued to be reported in March. The types of trap being used included a metal spring trap with a sharp edge to grip the embossing on cards. Other traps, more commonly described as Lebanese Loops were also detected. Distraction in Canada included dropping a small amount of cash on the ground after following the victim from the ATM. In the UK, distraction theft occurred at the ATM location itself.

ATM Skimming / Skimming / EFTPOS Compromise

ATM skimming continued to be reported globally in March. There was however an apparent decrease in reported incidents in Europe. Prosecutors in Bulgaria announced they are setting up a specialized unit to address crimes including ATM skimming. Reports from Australia claim that eastern European criminals specifically target the country due to the lack of widespread EMV adoption. Hand held skimming was reported by various African countries. Thailand reported a combination of distraction and hand held skimming during March as well as ATM skimming by suspects from Thailand, Turkey and Romania. US incidents included the re-encoding of gift cards with data skimmed from ATM cards.

Ram Raid Attacks / Theft of ATM / Smash-and-Grab

Suspects in Australia attempted to destroy forensic evidence by burning an ATM after it had been emptied of cash following a ram raid. Innovative ATM swapping suspects in Australia delayed the detection of their crime by replacing an ATM containing cash with a separate, empty ATM that had previously been stolen. In the USA, a suspect claimed that a stolen ATM discovered in his home was put there by someone else. Incidents of ATMs being manually removed in the USA included the theft of an ATM from a golf club. Golf carts were used as get-away vehicles. Bolts prevented an ATM being dragged away by a chain attached to a vehicle in the USA. Strong anchoring also prevented the theft of an ATM in Australia. Three cars and a crowbar were used in the UK in an attempt to steal an ATM from a supermarket. In another failed attempt in the UK, a chainsaw and a 4x4 vehicle were used. Success in the theft of an ATM in the UK was short-lived when the suspects realized the ATM was empty of cash. Police in Portugal caught three suspects red handed while attempting to remove an ATM using a cutting torch. Three suspects linked to ATM thefts in Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia were arrested in March.

Safe Cutting / Safe Breaking / Theft from ATM

An intruder alarm interrupted the attempted theft from an ATM in Australia. The alarm was triggered as the suspects broke the glass window of the bank branch. In the USA a suspect resorted to firing a shotgun at an ATM after failing to gain access to the cash using a crowbar.

Explosive Attacks

ATM bombings in South Africa continued in March. One incident resulted in the death of a police officer.

Quick Search Strings:

Theft of ATMs >                                         Failed Theft of ATMs >

Theft From ATMs >                                   ATM Skimming >

Card Trapping >                                         Leaving Transaction Live >

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The above digest is provided by DFR Risk Management, who provide consultancy services advising ATM and self-service terminal deployers and manufacturers, as well as law-enforcement agencies, on how to manage ATM and self-service terminal fraud and security threats.