Posted by Vincent Jones on April 27, 2006 at 5:59 PM
Just read this on another photo forum & the person who wrote it works for a bank.
It reads
A petrol station in High Wycombe was cloning the cards and obtaining the PIN's by pointing a small cctv camera at the handheld unit!!!!!!!!!!
Money has been taken out from cash points all over the Indian sub-continent!!
So be careful folks.
I was working in St Albans earlier this year and when paying for fuel the cashier took my card and PIN terminal and asked me for my PIN!! so she could put it in. I explained it does'nt quite work like that and in broken English she tried to apologise
Not exactly photography...but if it helps to stop you getting ripped off somewhere....
Being an IT person, I keep any eye on security forums and FWIW, with all the hype surrounding Chip & Pin it seems that the banks have neglected to mention a very important security issue with the cards - they are very difficult to destroy properly, ie to kill the chip dead - when they expire.
Unlike a Magnetic stripe, cutting through the chip isn't enough, nor is "electrocuting" it (it simply blows the wires connecting to the chip like a fuse and they can be reconnected.). In fact the only way I've seen that seems to render the card useless/unrecoverable is to stick a large drill through the chip itself (ie total physical destruction!).
As for keying in your PIN number, if someone is too close to you, ask them to step back...or even better , ask them if they are going to pay for you . (Usually gets a grin from the cashier too). Another way to increase your security is simply to place your other "spare" hand to cover the one doing the pin number.
Posted by Vincent Jones on April 29, 2006 at 9:48 AM
I know its not photography Nick sorrrrryyyyyyy
Me & credit cards/pin numbers don't go anyway so I am pleased this scam doens't apply to me, plus I have never owned one of those plastic c-credits, I refuse to be chipped then pinned
Thought the warning was worth posting though as you never know who this could happen to.
Discussion
3 repliesIt reads
A petrol station in High Wycombe was cloning the cards and obtaining the PIN's by pointing a small cctv camera at the handheld unit!!!!!!!!!!
Money has been taken out from cash points all over the Indian sub-continent!!
So be careful folks.
Thanks for the Heads up.
I was working in St Albans earlier this year and when paying for fuel the cashier took my card and PIN terminal and asked me for my PIN!! so she could put it in. I explained it does'nt quite work like that and in broken English she tried to apologise
Regards
Rob
Being an IT person, I keep any eye on security forums and FWIW, with all the hype surrounding Chip & Pin it seems that the banks have neglected to mention a very important security issue with the cards - they are very difficult to destroy properly, ie to kill the chip dead - when they expire.
Unlike a Magnetic stripe, cutting through the chip isn't enough, nor is "electrocuting" it (it simply blows the wires connecting to the chip like a fuse and they can be reconnected.). In fact the only way I've seen that seems to render the card useless/unrecoverable is to stick a large drill through the chip itself (ie total physical destruction!).
As for keying in your PIN number, if someone is too close to you, ask them to step back...or even better
Me & credit cards/pin numbers don't go anyway so I am pleased this scam doens't apply to me, plus I have never owned one of those plastic c-credits, I refuse to be chipped
Thought the warning was worth posting though as you never know who this could happen to.