Skimming: What It Is and How to Protect Yourself
With the development of technology in recent years, unfortunately, thieves have also devised increasingly advanced methods of theft. Nowadays, in addition to the theft of the wallet itself, one must also be wary of the cloning of payment cards, which can occur at ATMs or payment terminals (for example, those at gas stations), at POS terminals, or even directly from your pocket or bag. All this can happen without you realizing it at the moment.
This fraudulent practice is commonly known as “skimming,” a term derived from the verb “to skim,” which aptly describes the actions of criminals who “skim” sensitive data from a payment card that “surface” when it is used.
Let’s take a look at how this works (and how to protect yourself) from the fraudulent cloning of payment cards, dividing it into the two most frequent forms: skimming at ATMs and POS terminals, and skimming from the pocket.
1. Skimming at ATMs and POS terminals
At ATMs, it works like this: criminals insert a small device called a skimmer into the card slot, which captures the data from the magnetic stripe. Additionally, they install hidden micro-cameras or a fake keypad on the machine to capture the PIN.
How to protect yourself
In these cases, to avoid unpleasant consequences, follow these 5 tips:
- Always check that the ATM or terminal shows no signs of tampering, such as misalignments, added or loose parts, or different colors. If you notice anything strange (for example, if the card reader is not firmly attached or the keypad buttons are hard to press), do not use it.
- In your bank’s mobile app, set daily transaction limits and activate notifications; this way, only a small amount can be withdrawn at a time, and you can be promptly informed if any money is moved from your account. Alternatively, use a prepaid card for payments and withdrawals, so if someone clones it, they can only withdraw a relatively low amount.
- When possible, avoid inserting your card into the slot and use contactless transmission instead. Although skimming without contact is possible, it is much rarer than contact skimming.
- It may sound obvious, but ALWAYS cover the hand you use to enter your PIN with your other hand, even if no one is around. This way, if there is a hidden camera, it won’t be able to see your PIN.
- Withdraw cash from indoor ATMs located inside banks or post offices, as these are less prone to tampering thanks to constant video surveillance. Avoid isolated outdoor machines.
Be aware that skimming can happen not only at ATMs but also at POS terminals and vending machines for drinks, snacks, train, or bus tickets. In these cases too, follow the tips above to stay safe.
2. Pocket Skimming
In this second type of skimming, which occurs in crowded places (such as public transport) and targets contactless cards, criminals operate differently. Here’s how: they bring the contactless skimmers close to the victim’s pocket (i.e., where the wallet is located) and withdraw a sum of money (usually a few dozen euros) directly from the contactless card. And no, the fabric of your trousers is not enough to shield it.
Fortunately, this type of skimming is rarer than the one carried out on magnetic stripes because it is more difficult to execute — but it is still possible.
What are RFID and NFC technologies?
To understand how it works, let’s take a small step back: contactless cards operate by using NFC technology (Near Field Communication), which is a wireless communication through short-range radio waves (generally just a few centimeters) that allows electronic devices, such as smartphones or payment cards, to exchange data.
NFC is a subcategory of the better-known RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), a technology that allows reading and identifying objects at distances of several meters using radio waves. For example, toll tags in cars and microchips in pets are read using RFID readers.
Therefore, NFC is a type of RFID that works at short range, exactly like the chips in cards: these emit radio waves that extend just a few centimeters and transmit to the reader the data necessary for the transaction (such as card number, expiration date, etc.), enabling the payment. It is precisely these radio waves that can be intercepted to commit fraud.
How to protect yourself
The good news is that this type of skimming is harder for criminals to carry out compared to skimming on the magnetic stripe at ATMs and POS terminals.
In any case, to stay safe, all you need is to insert an RFID and NFC blocker card in your wallet — a low-cost card that shields your payment cards from any cloning attempt. This protection card is exactly the same size and weight as a normal payment card, so it doesn’t add bulk or extra weight; in fact, it lightens your mind by freeing you from the worry that someone might steal your data.
You don’t have to do anything actively, unlike at ATMs where you need to check the machine. Here, just keep the protection card among your other cards and forget about it — it works on its own and doesn’t need recharging. So, you only need to buy it once to be protected for years. You can buy it in specialty stores or on the Mondraghi website by clicking here.
If it’s also time to get a new wallet, the best option is to buy one that already has RFID and NFC protection built-in, so you don’t have to buy the blocker separately — and for this, you can confidently rely on Mondraghi. In fact, RFID and NFC protection is integrated into every miniwallet in all Mondraghi collections, attached to the banknote clip and active within a radius of 2.5 cm around the cards.
Thanks to this small but essential precaution, you can fully enjoy your concerts, festivals, or travels with complete peace of mind, because no one will ever be able to clone your data.