ATM Skimmer and Hidden Camera Scam over the phone

How it looks over the phone, the red flags and what to do.

On a call the pressure is live: no time to read, no time to check, and a rule that you must not tell anyone. 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 over the phone

• A calm, official voice that already knows your name or the last digits of your card.
• Being told to stay on the line and not to tell your family.
• Instructions to install a screen-sharing app or to press keys on the phone.

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 phone call

• 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.
• The caller asks for an OTP, UPI PIN, card PIN or CVV.
• You are told that a case, arrest, block or penalty is coming within minutes.

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. Tell a family member and report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility).
5. Hang up. A real bank or office will not mind that you call them back.
6. Call the bank or office on the number printed on your card, bill or official app, not on a number the caller gave.

Report the number on the Sanchar Saathi portal (Chakshu facility). If money moved, call 1930 immediately.

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: fake app, SMS.

Questions