Sleuths of the Mira Bhayandar-Vasai Virar (MBVV) police have appealed to people to be cautious of data skimming devices after the recovery of one from the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) kiosk of a reputed private sector bank in Mira Road.
According to the police the incident was reported from the ATM kiosk located near the branch of the bank located in the Kanakia Road area of Mira Road. The security guard noticed some device detached from the unit and immediately alerted the assistant branch manager of the bank who reached the spot and found a micro camera and data skimming device that had been installed on the ATM.
Following an inspection by technical experts, a complaint was registered at the local police station. While the camera was attached above the keyboard, the data skimming device had been planted on the slot where the card is inserted. Probe was also underway to check how many PIN numbers and data entered by ATM users had been recorded by the micro-camera and the skimmer for fraudulent transactions.
Meanwhile, an offence under sections 420 and 511 of the IPC has been registered against unidentified miscreants at the Mira Road police station.
Despite repeated reminders and warnings by the law enforcing agencies, most of the ATM kiosks in the twin-city are sitting ducks for criminals. Even though a majority of ATM kiosks are armed with CCTV cameras, the big question is whether footage from them are monitored or not.
