DAYTON, Ohio–The findings of a new report will come as little surprise to credit unions, many of which have been victimized by skimming attacks.
A new security alert from NCR Corp. is warning that such attacks are on the upswing, primarily due to migration away from mag stripes and toward EMV on plastic cards, according to NCR.
ATMs will increasingly be targeted, according to a number of analysts, because the vast majority of ATMs in the U.S. won't even begin their migrations toward EMV for another two to three years.
To protect against skimming devices, NCR is advising financial institutions to keep their anti-skimming services and technologies up to date; invest in skimming-detection software and services that alert them when an ATM has been tampered with, and make training employees on how to readily detect skimming devices on ATMs a priority.
"As a result of our investigations with law enforcement, we have seen that [skimming] devices that have been used in the U.S. have been bezel-mounted card skimming devices," NCR said in its alert. "This false-overlay bezel is attached on top of the legitimate card-reader bezel."
Many of recent skimming attacks also have involved the installation of small cameras near the ATM’s PIN pad to capture PINs as they are entered for cash withdrawals, the alert added.
NCR says the attacks law enforcement identified in the U.S. had compromised older versions of third-party anti-skimming devices, not devices issued by the original equipment manufacturer.