From: BillK (bill@wkidston.freeserve.co.uk)
Date: Mon Feb 24 2003 - 04:30:59 MST
On Sun Feb 23, 2003 09:34 pm Dossy wrote:
> I'm waiting for people to set up high-powered telescopes aimed at
> public ATM keypads from a distance to surf people's PIN codes as well
> as a glance at their ATM card to get their account number, then see if
> they're signed up for web banking then *slurrrrrrrrrp* run off with
> their money. I cannot believe it hasn't happened yet, especially in
> places like New York City.
Guess what - it has happened, and all over the world. I remember reading
a case in UK where they rented a flat overlooking the ATM and used
high-power binoculars to read the PIN numbers. Another member of the
gang collected the receipts that people often throw away after
withdrawing cash. Do a Google search on ATM + binoculars and you'll see
people have been warning about this for years.
A new technique to me was using a camcorder to film people keying-in PIN
numbers.
Being mugged after a cash withdrawal is still the most common crime,
though, in UK. Much easier for lower IQ criminals.
Did you see the latest news item about a technique that can guess a
customer's PIN number in about 15 tries?
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,899812,00.asp
Personally, the 'phantom withdrawals' problem is the reason why I have
never, ever, used a cash machine. The banks insist that that their
machines are error free and it is up to me to prove that I did or did
not make any specific withdrawal. The convenience is just not worth all
that hassle for me.
Best wishes, BillK
__________________________________________________________________________
Freeserve AnyTime - Go online whenever you want for just £6.99 a month for
your first 3 months, that's HALF PRICE! And then it's just £13.99 a month
after that.
For more information visit http://www.freeserve.com/time/ or call free on
0800 970 8890
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Mon Feb 24 2003 - 04:33:41 MST