How Jamaicans are ABM Skimming NCB and Scotia Debit and Credit Cards for Christmas 2016

“The activities are also not limited to any specific geographical area as there have been reports of occurrences islandwide”

NCB (National Commercial Bank) on the sudden increase in ATM Scamming in Jamaica

ABM Scamming is on the rise, fellow Jamaicans. Be very scared, as your bank account can be cleaned out in less than 60 seconds.

This as scammers are now turning to stealing ABM Machine Card and Pin Data as reported in the article “ABM scamming not limited to any specific bank, NCB says”, published Wednesday, September 14, 2016, The Jamaica Observer.

On Wednesday August 14^th 2016, NCB stated that they're investigating of incidents in the past 72 hours involving 15 Bank accounts of customers suddenly showing a zero balance as reported in “BEWARE!! ATM SCAMMERS AT WORK!” published September 15, 2016 by Abka Fitz-Henley, Nationwide News.

These ATM Scammers apparently targeted ATM in the following parishes in the past 72 hours:

1.      Clarendon

2.      St. Ann

3.      Westmoreland

4.      St. James

5.      Kingston

Interestingly too, it's not just NCB ATM; they also seem to be targeting ATM of other banks, but apparently the NCB ATM is their favourite candyshop.

This is nothing new as Scotia Bank has been dealing with ATM or ABM Skimming since 2010, losing some JA$150 million in the process as reported in the article “Scotia loses $150 million in card scams”, published Sunday, August 29, 2010 By Alicia Roache Sunday Finance reporter, The Jamaica Observer.

More recently, in August 2016, Chinese Scammers had been arrested on suspicion of using skimmers to rob Jamaicans as noted in the article “Alleged Chinese scammers remanded”, published Monday, August 01, 2016, The Jamaica Observer.

NCB's Dane Nicholson & Lloyd Parchment made sure to come on Smile Jamaica on Friday 16^th September 2016 to warn people about this ongoing problem.

Now: More Details About the ATM Card Scam with NCB's, Dane Nicholson & Lloyd Parchment pic.twitter.com/ctzwyqojqN

— Smile Jamaica (@Smilejamtvj) September 16, 2016

So why is this happening all of a sudden?

NCB ATM and Skimming - How Skimming Works and why the Media is helping

NCB ATM are most likely being targeted as they easier to set up hidden Cameras and skimmers to capture information from the customer as described in my blog article entitled “Debit Card Cloning and the Cashless Society”. 

This video makes this quite plain, especially as the NCB official explained how to do it so well!

NCB, for some strange reason, even gave out a shopping list anyone can use to create their own skimmer in the article “It’s not us alone, says NCB of ABM scamming”, published September 15, 2016 by Loop News. So without further ado, I’d like to thank the media for dropping this info on us all; skimming incidents are gonna explode like wildfire from now on!

So, here’s your shopping list of items needed to do ATM Skimming:

1.      Card reader overlays

2.      Card reader inserts. 

3.      Covert pin-hole cameras

4.      Key pad overlays

Skimming occurs when the customer’s card passes through the fraudulent card reader overlay or card reader insert and reads the data from the magnetic strip. Card reader inserts are miniature devices which fit covertly into the throat of ABM card readers.

They are designed to skim or record card data when a card is being used to conduct a transaction.

The setup will also include a pinhole camera that capture your PIN (Personal Identification Number) and in more sophisticated setups, they may even use a Key pad overlay which look exactly like the genuine key pads of the machines.

The thieves then later return, usual late at night when everyone is asleep, to collect their Skimmer devices and the recorded data. They can then go home and using blank card with magnetic strips, rewrite the data onto these new cards and then withdraw the cash from your account at any ATM.

All in the space of 24 hours!!

It’ll also have the added benefit of making Mobile Money platforms such as NCB Quisk even more popular as predicted in my blog article entitled “How NCB Quisk Compares to CONEC Mobile Wallet as Jamaica goes Cashless”. 

Again, I’d like to thank the Media for dropping this info on us; now Skimming ATM is gonna explode come Christmas 2016.

NCB and Skimming - Defense Against the Dark Arts on preventing ATM Theft

Luckily, NCB hasdropped some tips in the article “It’s not us alone, says NCB of ABM scamming”, published September 15, 2016 by Loop News that is quite helpful:

1.      Scrutinize the ABM for items that may have been installed over or around the PIN pad

2.      Avoid ABMs with connections pointed in the direction of the PIN pad. This may be used to house a hidden camera, which may record your PIN.

3.      Do not use ABMs that show possible signs of a loose or detached card slot, or presence of double-sided tape (used by skimmers to ensure quick and easy removal).

4.      Guard your PIN with your free hand while entering it on a keypad to prevent recording by cameras.

5.      Be aware of your surroundings and any possible loiterers when using the ABM.

6.      Do not accept help from people you do not know when using an ABM.

Please note, the NCB ATM's goes through a validation process that may take awhile; that's not an indication of a skimmer at work, as these devices read the information as fast as a POS (Point of Sale) reader.

This message is part of our ABM’s validation process:
“Please wait while the card is initialized”.
Do not be alarmed pic.twitter.com/BcxptJEv7Y

— NCB Jamaica (@ncbja) September 15, 2016

So do you feel safer? I sure do not, as I’m not even sure the POS devices in some store will safe by December 2016, when shopping goes into overdrive! Thieves now basically have two (2) options to rob you come Christmas 2016; steal your cash or rob you at the ATM.

Still, I'm taking these precautions and avoiding ATM for now.