News

Acal ATM Parts unveils anti-skimming device

September 29, 2008

SURREY, England — ATM Parts Co. Ltd., a division of Acal's Parts Services group, has launched a second-generation antiskimming device designed to curb ATM-card skimming.Card skimming in the United Kingdom continues to be a threat, despite the migration from mag-stripe cards to chip and PIN. In April 2008, the European ATM Security Team reported a 43 percent increase in skimming-related ATM fraud losses.

ATM Parts Co. spearheaded a research and development program to enhance anti-skimming technology and developed the ATM-ASD202G (ASD2).

According to a news release, the ATM-ASD2 retains the "detect and protect" method used by its predecessors, allowing enhanced detection, analysis and reporting of foreign radio-frequency transmissions, such as those from wireless spy cameras. The independence of the card reader and the ATM is not disrupted.

Once wireless transmissions have been detected, the ATM-ASD2 analyzes the data to evaluate the threat level and communicate the perceived type of threat back to the operator. If the operator chooses, the ATM can be immmediately taken offline when a threat is detected.

The ATM-ASD2 uses filtering techniques to pinpoint the potential threat signal, allowing it to be future-proofed and flexible to meet the dynamics of this particular source of card fraud. Also, given the recent re-emergence of the more established threats, the ATM-ASD2 also has additional options, allowing fascia monitoring, false card reader head detection and Lebanese loop detection.