ATM Skimmer and Hidden Camera Scam through an app

How it looks through an app, the red flags and what to do.

The app is the scammer's way in: it can read what is on the screen, collect contacts and push you to pay. ATM Skimmer and Hidden Camera Scam is one of the ways this shows up: 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.

What atm skimmer and hidden camera scam looks like through an app

• A loan app that asks for contacts and photos.
• A "KYC", "challan" or "bank rewards" app from a link.
• An .apk file sent on WhatsApp or by SMS.

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.

Red flags to check on the app

• 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.
• It has few or odd reviews, or a name with spelling changes.
• It asks you to turn off Play Protect.

What to do

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. Call your bank, and call 1930 if money moved.
5. Do not install it. If it is installed, uninstall it now (Settings, Apps).
6. Open Settings and check Accessibility, Device admin apps and Install unknown apps for anything you do not recognise.

Report the fake app to the store it came from and, if money moved, call 1930 and report at cybercrime.gov.in.

If money or a code is already gone

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 at cybercrime.gov.in.

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.

Full guide: ATM Skimmer and Hidden Camera Scam: how it works, signs and what to do. Other channels: SMS, phone call.

Questions