ATM Skimming On The Rise, Experts Offer Tips To Protect Yourself

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's called skimming.

"What that really means is getting information off credit cards so it can later be used, so equivalent to someone stealing your physical credit card to get all the information from it, and then use that information," Dr. Jacob Joseph told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Wednesday.

Joseph, a forensic analyst at the Software Engineering Institute, says stealing information at ATMs is growing even with the new chip cards.

"Cards with chips for legacy reasons still have magnetic chips, and the magnetic strips still have information on it," says Joseph.

Thieves use many techniques like a special sleeve inserted inside the ATM card holder and tiny cameras to record your pin numbers.

"In many cases the machine will still work perfectly well. They're just getting a copy of your data," Joseph said.

Most banks try to protect customers from scam artists.

"We've made some physical upgrades to the ATM as well as some interior work to the ATM itself," says John Munroe, senior vice president of ATM banking at PNC.

Munroe says PNC uses the latest technology but nothing is a 100 percent.

As hard as the banks are working to stay ahead of the bad guys when it comes to skimming, customers have to take personal responsibility, too.

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So what can you do?

Here are some tips:

"When they approach the ATM, they should be aware of suspicious activity, strangers who are around the ATM who are not really using the ATM," warns Munroe.

Second, make sure there are no foreign devices on the ATM.

Third, use the mirrors to make sure no one is close behind you.

Fourth, as you start your transaction, "use your other hand to cover the pin pad as you enter the pin."

Finally, experts say ATMs inside a bank may be safer than generic ones outside and look for bank cameras to track the fraudsters.

Good advice to avoid becoming a victim.