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Reality check: Battle is on against ATM crime

Tom Harper, president of ATMIA, urges those in the ATM industry to support efforts like the ATM Integrity Taskforce in the U.S., the ATM Security Working Group in the UK and ATMIA's own GASA and Operation Sword and Shield.

May 12, 2003

Here in 2002, I'm optimistic about the overall health of the ATM industry. ATMs are accepted and used by people all over the world, and their reliability is uncommonly good. We've experienced growth and relatively smooth sailing, in a business sense, for many years.

Most people in the industry don't worry that legislators will restrict transaction fees on a grand scale. Or that saturation of the global ATM estate will happen any time soon.

Tom Harper

But when we hear about Brazilian ATMs being shut down after dark because of the proliferation of criminal activity, or that some European banks have withdrawn ATMs from convenience stores because of frequent robberies, or that sophisticated ATM scams have been perpetrated in major cities like New York and Sydney, we see the symptoms of a cancer in our industry.

Time to act

Every new ATM deployed in the market is a new target for fraud. As our machines proliferate, so does the scourge of crime. Skimming, card schemes, shoulder surfing, ram raids, gunpoint robberies and vandalism are on the rise. But how can the average deployer make the machines safer?

As long as there is money in ATMs, there will be a threat of crime and fraud. The freedom to get cash anytime is worth protecting, and when it's threatened, it's up to the leadership of the industry to act. That time is now, and ATMIA, the industry's only trade association, is taking action, along with several other industry associations and key industry players.

ATMIA's "Operation Sword and Shield" initiative is getting a lot of attention and support from the industry, and I believe it's going to be an effective program.

Can we rid the industry completely of crime? While that's certainly an ambitious goal, and it undoubtedly will not be easy, I believe that yes, it can happen. At the very least, we can cause a migration of criminal attention away from our industry through new and improved technologies, implementation of best practices and concerted industry-wide coordination of resources. We simply have to get behind the movement.

Action thus far

The first ATMIA security awards were held last year at the association's "ATM Sec 02" conference in Manchester, England. At the recent ATMIA conference in Miami, Alan Townsend, crime prevention coordinator of the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad for New Scotland Yard, gave an inspiring keynote address that kicked off an ATM security workshop.

ATMIA has partnered with the ATM Integrity Task Force in the U.S., facilitated by the board of the Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA). With input from ATMIA, the group will soon publish a comprehensive set of recommendations on PIN security and best practices for ATM acquirers in the United States.

ATMIA has also recently set up GASA (Global ATM Security Alliance) involving, so far, MasterCard International, the UK's LINK Interchange Network, the Australian Bankers Association, NCR, Europol, Australia's New South Wales Fraud Squad, the UK's Flying Squad of the Metropolitan Police Servicesand several international and national groups focusing on crime syndicates that operate globally.

By using pooled intelligence, shared resources and new security technologies, the group will work with authorities to thwart new crime entrepreneurs. The coordination between law enforcement agencies, associations and other key industry groups is aimed at creating a strong, united front in the war against crime and fraud.

This fall, another international event, "ATM Sec 3" in London Oct. 13-14, will focus on ATM security. The second annual Global ATM Security Awards will be presented there.

What you can do

The hard-earned public reputation of ATMs is at stake in this battle against criminals, fraudsters, hackers and hucksters. We must do everything possible to win the fight.

Here are some simple measures every deployer and ATM owner should follow:

1. Use the practical ATM security checklist prepared by BenAlpin, a consultancy based in the UK. Click here to download the pdf: http://www.atmiaeurope.com/pdf/lifecycle.pdf

2. Study the ATM Security Working Group's best practices for freestanding ATMs. This comprehensive document covers various aspects of ATM security, the host premises and the general movement of cash onsite. The guide is located at: http://www.atmiaeurope.com/pdf/stand_alone.pdf

3. Adopt an attitude throughout your organization that security is of prime importance. Not only do we have an obligation to protect our customers, but crime will migrate to the weakest link; don't let your machines be easy targets.

If we support efforts like the ATM Integrity Taskforce in the U.S., the ATM Security Working Group in the UK, and join forces as an industry in each of our countries, as well as supporting international efforts like GASA and Operation Sword and Shield, our industry will enjoy further growth. If we do not protect our own industry, no one else will, and we will remain vulnerable to unwelcome criminal attention.

If we wait until the public demands safer machines, it may be too late to restore consumer confidence. Then we'll be fighting public opinion, not just the criminals.

Let's prevent a battle on both fronts. To find out more about ATMIA's anti-crime efforts, e-mail Mike Lee at mike@atmia.com for a PowerPoint presentation that explains the program in detail.

Let's not let the reality of scams and criminal trade erode the confidence of our customers. This is one case where reality could become widespread perception.

Included In This Story

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ATM Industry Association (ATMIA)

The ATM Industry Association, founded in 1997, is a global non-profit trade association with over 10,500 members in 65 countries. The membership base covers the full range of this worldwide industry comprising over 2.2 million installed ATMs.

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