Group issues warning about ATM skimming at the World Cup

The World Cup soccer championship opens Friday in South Africa, and an ATM professional organization is warning fans who plan to attend to games to be careful about using ATMs because fraudsters may have placed skimming devices on the machines.

"Skimming devices can be combined with a doctored keypad that is placed over the real one or a small video camera that records the PIN code entered for each card," Candid Wuest, senior threat researcher for Symantec Corp., said in a press release issued by ATM Community News, an organization comprised of ATM professionals in Africa and the Middle East.

"Newer skimming devices contain a GSM (global system for mobile communications) module that will send card dumps or information stored on the card's magnetic stripe back to the attacker," Wuest said. "Video footage from surveillance cameras has shown that scammers can install the fake keyboard and card reader in under five seconds."

With stolen card information, thieves can manufacture cloned cards and steal cardholders' funds, Wuest said. Symantec, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., warns fans who plan to attend the month-long World Cup they should look out for any attached ATM keypads or strange-looking card slots that wiggle.

The World Cup, which will feature competition between 32 teams, is the world's largest sporting event. More than 350,000 fans are to attend the games. The World Cup is held every four years. During the 2006 World Cup final between Italy and France, an estimated 750 million people around the world watched the match on television. Italy defeated France 5 to 3.