This story from Krebs on Security reminded me of an ATM related incident a few months ago.
I normally use an ATM located in the reception area of the headquarters of the state police. It's just across the skyway from where I work, and most importantly, it's owned by a credit union that doesn't charge me for withdrawals. Free ATM's are a good thing.
A couple months ago, as I was about to slide my card, I looked up at the ceiling, scanned the nearby walls, grabbed the card reader and wiggled it up and down a bit, and bent down and looked at the bottom of the reader.
The receptionist look at me, 'um - can I help you?'
Me: "I was just thinking about the probability of finding a card skimmer on an ATM in the lobby of the state police headquarters. Do you supposed it's possible?"
Her: (laugh) "I heard about those - how do they work?"
Me: [short explanation]
Her: "I don't know if I could tell the difference."
Me: "I'm not sure I can either..."
We both agreed that it was unlikely that someone would be able to skim this particular ATM. The receptionist is always behind the desk, facing the ATM; the lobby is only open business hours, and that because of heavy use by law enforcement officers, odds are it would be detected.
I like that ATM.
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