ATM explosive attacks and low tech fraud incidents increase in Europe

The European ATM Security Team (EAST) has just published a European ATM Crime Report covering the first six months of 2013.  This shows significant rises in both low tech fraud incidents and ATM explosive attacks, while card skimming incidents fell again.

The overall increase in low tech fraud incidents is due to a surge in the number of cash trapping and transaction reversal fraud incidents.  7,885 such incidents were reported, up 77% from the 4,464 incidents reported in H1 2012.  While both these attack types can succeed in the EMV environment, as normal transactions take place on EMV cards, criminals get less from them than from high tech skimming attacks. The chart below shows an analysis of the overall figures since 2005.

ATM related skimming losses rise again - mainly outside Europe

The European ATM Security Team (EAST) has reported a 15% increase in ATM related skimming losses, despite a 13% fall in skimming incidents.  Most of these losses are taking place outside Europe in countries where the EMV (Chip and PIN) liability shift has not yet been adopted, or where the roll out of EMV compliant ATMs has not yet been completed.  That being said, skimming incidents now make up just 35% of all reported ATM related fraud attacks, with the remainder being due to low-tech attacks such as cash trapping, card trapping and transaction reversal fraud (TRF).  Losses due to the low-tech attacks are very low: losses of just €3 million were reported, compared to skimming related losses of €128 million.

 

To download the full press release visit the EAST Website.