ATM Skimmer and Hidden Camera Scam

A hidden reader on an ATM slot copies your card, and a tiny camera records your PIN. Your account is then drained with a cloned card.

A skimmer is a thin fake card reader fitted over the real slot of an ATM, while a small camera or a fake keypad records your PIN. You insert your card, withdraw cash as normal and leave. The machine works as usual, so nothing seems wrong. Later your card details are copied onto a blank card and used to take money from your account.

How the scam works

Criminals fit a device over the card slot of an ATM, often at a quiet location or one that is rarely checked. It looks like a part of the machine and fits tightly. A tiny camera in a leaflet holder, a light bar or a false panel above the keypad records the hand movements when you type the PIN.

When you insert your card, the device reads and stores the magnetic stripe details, while the camera captures your PIN. Because the real machine continues to work, your cash comes out normally and you notice nothing. The criminals later return to collect the device, or the data is sent wirelessly to a phone nearby. Nothing seems wrong.

The stolen data is copied to a blank card, and the PIN from the video lets them withdraw cash. They may do this far from where you live, and often within days. You see the withdrawals only in alerts or in your statement. By then the device may have been removed, which leaves little evidence at the ATM itself.

An example of what you may see

Example only: You withdraw Rs 5,000 at an ATM in a market lane. The card slot feels slightly loose and the machine has a leaflet holder fixed above the keypad. Two days later, you receive alerts for cash withdrawals of Rs 10,000 at a machine in another city, even though your card is still in your wallet and you never shared your PIN. The bank later says the card was used with the correct PIN, which is how a hidden camera helps criminals.

This example is written for illustration. Real messages change their wording, names and links all the time.

Red flags

• The card slot looks bulky, loose or different in colour.
• A leaflet holder or odd panel sits above the keypad.
• The keypad feels raised or sticks out more than usual.
• Your card is hard to insert or remove.
• Alerts show withdrawals in a place you have not been.
• The ATM is in a quiet place with no guard.

What to do right now

1. Wiggle the card slot and look at the keypad before using an ATM.
2. Cover the keypad with your hand when typing your PIN.
3. Choose ATMs inside branches or well-lit, busy places.
4. Keep SMS alerts on and check your statement often.
5. Change your PIN if you feel anything was odd.

If you already paid or shared a code

1. Call your bank on the number printed on your card and block the card at once.
2. Call 1930 and report the withdrawals with times and places.
3. Report at https://cybercrime.gov.in and inform the bank of the ATM location you used.
4. Ask the bank to issue a new card and review disputed withdrawals.

National Cyber Crime Helpline: 1930. Report online at cybercrime.gov.in. Do it fast: the sooner your bank is told, the better the chance that money can be held.

Where this scam shows up

Read how it looks on each channel:

How Safeavio helps

Safeavio is a phone security app and cannot detect a skimmer on an ATM. It can help in small ways, such as the Money Shield checklist for safe money habits and the scam check for messages that follow a card loss, like a fake 'refund' call. For ATMs, the safest checks are your own eyes, your hand over the keypad and bank alerts.

• Identity protection

Questions people ask

Other scams in this group

Also known as: card skimming fraud, ATM card cloning, fake card reader. More bank and card fraud