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Bank cards are in the wallet of almost every adult. This is understandable, because they are easy to use, easy to design and open up a number of possibilities.

And everything would be fine, but in the matter of security modern cards far from ideal.

Fraudsters have come up with and are actively using eight popular ways to steal money from accounts.

1. Skimming

On the Internet, you can find a lot of information about the capabilities of skimming devices, with the help of which fraudsters get all the necessary data about the card.

The meaning is very simple. A “fake” keyboard is attached to the ATM, by clicking on which the owner of the credit card (without knowing it) passes it into the wrong hands confidential information. In addition, a device (skimmer) is inserted into the ATM card reader, with the help of which the attacker reads all the data from the magnetic stripe.

Some attackers go further and install so-called fake ATMs, in which all the necessary devices are already installed. Such products are a hollow box with a skimmer built into it. The user inserts the card into the card reader and sees a message about the impossibility of carrying out a transaction with money (the pretext may be different). He, of course, takes the card and goes to look for the next ATM. In fact, all the data from the card has already been read by fraudsters. It remains to use them for selfish purposes.

2. Card theft

Theft is the most commonplace way to get someone else's card, but according to statistics, it is one of the most popular. To steal another person's card, an attacker does not need to have any unusual knowledge. You just need to know how to steal.

Competent scammers steal the card after the PIN code has been spied (this can be done simply with the help of ordinary surveillance of a person). Particularly quick villains manage to connect a video camera near the ATM and in this way find out the secret four digits.

3. ATM theft

How can the theft of the owner's ATM be concerned? plastic card? Very simple. Attackers receive not only money from the device, but they can also read information about all the cards that passed through the card reader. Of course, today the theft of ATMs is an extremely rare occurrence, but until recently, many attackers hunted this.

4. Attack on the POS terminal

Many attackers are not limited to reading data from one or more cards. Why, if you can get secret information with information from thousands, or even millions credit cards. It turns out that this can be done through POS systems that are installed in large outlets for accepting payments (using credit cards as well).

Theft of personal data is carried out by installing a malicious program or a special additional device. Malicious code successfully finds a loophole in the system's security and passes the necessary information to the attacker.

5. Fake ATMs

Fake ATMs are increasingly appearing on the streets of the city, which in appearance are no different from real ones. In fact, such devices are a hollow box with a skimmer built into it. The user inserts the card into the card reader and sees a message about the impossibility of carrying out a transaction with money (the pretext may be different). He, of course, takes the card and goes to look for the next ATM. In fact, all the data from the card has already been read by fraudsters. It remains to use them for selfish purposes.

6. RFID readers

Today, RFID readers are actively used, which are able to scan bank cards with RFID chips. A hacker reader is very similar to a legal device, but it has more advanced functionality. For example, it is enough for an attacker to bring such a device closer to a card with an RFID chip, and all the necessary information will be read. In crowded transport, in the market, in the store, this is not difficult to do. A person may not even notice the “stealing”.

7. Interception of data from an ATM

This method is technically difficult to implement, but there are craftsmen. The attacker connects directly to the ATM cable, through which data is transmitted to the bank. The difficulty lies in the fact that it is necessary to make the connection without breaking the wires. But if you wish, all the necessary information can be found on the Internet.

8. Envelopes - Velcro

The essence of the method is very simple. At the ATM, a special plastic envelope is inserted into the card slot, slightly larger than the card. The user inserts a credit card, but nothing happens because the envelope prevents the ATM from reading the data. The owner tries to pick up the card, but due to the peculiarities of the envelope, this also fails. Here an “assistant” (intruder) is announced, who recommends entering a PIN code in order to pick up the card. Naturally, this also does not help, because the person leaves, and the attacker removes the envelope with the card.

Of course, these are not all the ways in which attackers trade. But if you understand the entire level of responsibility and remember the danger, then you can save your money.

It is difficult to imagine a more convenient means of payment than a plastic card: you can not carry cash with you, and pay only as needed. At the same time, you can track your payments on the Internet and keep statistics on expenses.

Unfortunately, there are not so few ways to use money on someone else's card and they are not as complicated as it might seem to an ordinary person. Everyone knows the rule: “Do not keep the pin code of the card next to it” and consider the implementation of this rule sufficient. However, it is not.

How can you steal money from a plastic card?

• Use a card with a pin code (password). The owner of the card wrote its pin code on the card or put it in the wallet, and lost the card with the wallet. An attacker can withdraw cash from an ATM at any time. If the bank offers to come up with a pin code yourself, do not write easy-to-guess passwords: the year of your birth (your documents may also be in the hands of a criminal), simple sequences of characters like 1111.
• Use the card without a password: here are some ways to steal money:
  • Using Your Card to make payments in a store that does not require a pin code, when the criminal impersonates the cardholder;

• • Use of card data(card number, owner name, expiration date and CVV code on the back of the card (the last three digits) for payments via the Internet. This data is enough to pay with your card. For example, this data is requested by hotel booking sites or hotels themselves to make reservation of a hotel room. At the same time, you do not know which employees work at the hotel, and how the hotel’s e-mail is securely protected. That is, the data can be used in the future. You will already leave the hotel, and in a year some amount may disappear from the card, or periodically disappearing rubles at 200, and you don’t even see it and don’t take any action.The same thing in a restaurant or cafe: to pay with a card, you pass it to the waiter, and he takes it to the cashier and only then returns it to you.What he does at this point with the card?
  • Scanning the magnetic tape and making a copy of the card. This is a technically complex, but also quite a working way to steal money from a card. In remote ATMs, in unreliable stores, attackers install additional equipment that reads the pin code and card. Therefore, always use ATMs installed in banks where there are video cameras.
• Writing off money by virus applications on smartphones and tablets. A program can be quietly installed on the device that remembers the login and password for entering the Internet bank and blocks SMS messages coming to the number used in the tablet. Thus, money can be debited, and the user of the account will not see any SMS messages about it. To protect yourself from this type of theft, you need to install an antivirus program on the device and do not use a SIM card with a phone number in the device.

As you can see, there are many ways, and they are not very complicated, especially with card data: if you tell someone the card number and full name of the holder, you endanger the security of your funds.

Rules for the use of plastic cards. How to protect yourself from theft of money from the card?

• Never keep the PIN code of the card next to the card itself, but rather remember it.
• Never share your PIN code with anyone, including employees of banks, shops, colleagues and even relatives. Are you sure that your friends will be able to ensure the security of the card and pin code just like you? Many banks allow you to make several cards for one account with a spending limit: if you need to transfer the card to other people, just make a separate card for them and set a limit.
• Never share your card details with anyone: by phone, e-mail etc. If you need to use maps on the Internet,
  • firstly, use only trusted stores and trusted payment systems;
  • secondly, it is advisable to have a separate card for making such payments and replenish its balance only as needed. For example, you book a hotel for 20,000 rubles, go to the terminal, top up the card for this amount, and enter data on the Internet.
• Do not lose sight of your card, do not let it be carried away, taken away, etc. For payments in shops and cafes, it is also better to use a separate card, on which large amounts of money will not be stored.
• Enable SMS notification of all card transactions. As soon as you see incomprehensible payments, immediately block the card. To do this, keep at hand the phone numbers of your bank, by which you can block the card.
• If you need to give your card number over the phone (to your bank staff), then make sure that no one is listening in on you.
• Keep all receipts that the ATM gives you as proof of transactions.

Of course, banks must ensure the safety of funds on the card, but if the owner himself behaves carelessly, then no security systems will save him. Be vigilant when using your cards, use the services that banks offer to track the movement of funds.

Recently, someone managed to pull off the largest theft in history of bitcoins, a virtual currency that can be called an analogue of "cash" on the Internet. - market of illicit drugs as well as bitcoin exchange Mt.Gox. This could have been done by hackers or someone who had access from inside, but one way or another, as a result of these actions, clients of Sheep Marketplace and Mt.Gox lost bitcoins worth 800 million dollars.

Cases of bitcoin theft are no longer something special. In June 2011, a user with the nickname Allinvain was the victim of what was probably the very first major theft ever recorded. “I want to kill myself,” he wrote then.

Another way to launder money is to do it like so many others: spend it on Satoshi Dice or another bitcoin casino.

Grow rich

Now you have pure bitcoins (let's hope you have a lot of them!) and you have your eyes on one villa in the South of France. Unfortunately, its owner does not accept bitcoins. Like most merchants around the world, she prefers settlement in a government-approved currency, preferably the euro.

Therefore, now you need to change your bitcoins to euros. However, you own a lot of bitcoins. If you were, say, the owner of the Sheep Marketplace, you would have 100 million worth of bitcoins. The Bitcoin economy is still small and relatively illiquid. There are not many people in the world who can immediately pay you for this amount of bitcoins. In addition, a transaction of this magnitude is sure to raise an alarm. In addition, hiding your identity becomes much more difficult when it comes to exchanging Bitcoin for another currency. Most exchanges require some identification information. In addition, you will at least need a bank account in which to keep your euros.

It's time to turn on the ingenuity. There are several ways to cash out a bunch of bitcoins while maintaining anonymity. You can, for example, find a wealthy buyer who is willing to accept bitcoin without verifying your identity in exchange for a price reduction. However The best way protect yourself - stay patient. Cash out bitcoins in a series of transactions over several weeks, and ideally months or even years, so as not to attract both the suspicions of those who follow the history of transactions and the suspicions of real authorities who may be interested in where you suddenly got millions of dollars.

That's it. Enjoy your new life in France.

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Theft Money in the territory Russian Federation is a criminal offense, depending on the severity of which punishment is provided under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in the form of fines from 80 to 200 thousand rubles, forced labor for up to 2 years or imprisonment for a period of one to 6 years.

Despite the severity of the legislation regarding these crimes, theft and fraud still occur. In order not to become a victim of scammers and thieves, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the techniques that they use to appropriate other people's money. Today, funds can be of two types: cash and non-cash. Considering the methods of theft of funds, let's start with the theft of non-cash funds.

How electronic money is stolen

You can lose the money that is on the card account either when making payments in online stores, or when trying to use the card at an ATM.

You need to be especially careful when shopping online, because modern technologies allow attackers to use spyware and duplicate sites through which they obtain personal information on any card. The first sign of a fraudulent site is the absence of a padlock icon at the beginning of the address bar. This sign indicates that the site uses a secure connection that guarantees the confidentiality of personal data.

Also, scammers very often use letters ostensibly on behalf of banks or other financial institutions in which they ask you to provide them with your account or card details. All banks repeatedly warn their customers about these types of fraud, so in case of any such incident, you need to call hotline your bank and consult with a specialist.

How money is stolen from ATMs

Almost every one of us uses ATMs to withdraw cash, so fraud through these devices is very developed today in terms of a variety of methods. Let's consider the main ones.

• Fraudsters install an overlay keyboard on the ATM, which exactly repeats the functionality of the real one, but at the same time remembers all the data and combinations that were entered by the cardholder. Having learned the pin code of the card, they can use its funds for electronic transfers.
• Retaining envelopes. These are special devices that are inserted into the card reader, while copying it appearance. When the cardholder performs all the operations he needs, the ATM cannot return the card to him. At this time, the scammer approaches the victim and says that just recently he had a similar situation, which he resolved by entering a pin code and pressing the "Enter" key twice. A person performs these actions, but, of course, this does not help. While the confused cardholder goes to the bank to find out the causes of the problem, the attacker extracts the envelope with the card, the pin code for which he already knows.
• Fraudsters sometimes install a miniature video camera at ATMs, through which they spy on the pin codes entered by cardholders. You can use the received data in online stores.
• The most expensive and difficult way is to install your own "ATM", which does not dispense money, but only reads absolutely all the data from the card and transfers it to the attackers. Along with connecting to a data transmission network from an ATM to a bank, this method always gives a 100% result, but it also requires a powerful material and technical base, certain skills and knowledge.

Precautionary measures

In order not to lose the money that is on your card, you must carefully inspect the ATM card reader, hide the pin code when dialing, do not transfer your personal data to anyone and in no case write down the pin code on the card. It is also best to save the hotline number of your bank in your phone in order to be able to quickly receive advice on security issues.

how to steal cash

Most often, cash is stolen by deceiving people. For example, attackers come to pensioners under the guise of social or medical workers and, under any pretext, offer to purchase a product or service. Also, money is often stolen from pockets and bags in public transport and markets, in cloakrooms and changing rooms.

Where is cash most often stolen?

For the theft of cash, the location of the incident is very important. It should preferably be a deserted place in which there will be no witnesses and the risk of being noticed is minimal. Or, on the contrary, a very crowded space in which the crowd and fuss can become a cover for a pickpocket. As already mentioned above, the places where they like to steal cash are metro stations, markets, railway stations, public transport.

Precautionary measures

In order not to become a victim of scammers, for example, at the train station, you should not trust strangers who offer to help you carry things or bring them to the address you need. Sometimes such people disappear along with the things of a gullible citizen. Do not keep money in the outer side pockets and in the back pockets of your trousers. Also, always keep an eye on your bag and keep it in front of you on public transport.

In order not to become a victim of scammers, always double-check the words they said in the appropriate authorities, and also be vigilant and careful.