Police officer spotted a tiny recording device hidden inside this cash machine in London. Photo / Supplied
Police officer spotted a tiny recording device hidden inside this cash machine in London. Photo / Supplied
Bank customers in the UK are being warned to be extra careful when using cashpoints after an off-duty police officer discovered a near-invisible hidden camera in one machine.
The cashpoint in Westminster looks almost identical to any other of the hundreds in use around the country, the Daily Mail reports.
But a special constable from the Met Police managed to spot the tiny device which was positioned to film customers putting in their pin numbers.
Bank customers in the UK are being warned to be extra careful when using cashpoints. Photo / Supplied
The tiny camera was hidden in a false front to the slot from which receipts are printed on the left-hand side of the bank machine.
Getting hold of the pin number allows criminals to use the card if it is later stolen, or, if a scanner is also fitted to the machine, clone the card and use the pin with a "dummy" copy of the victim's bank card.
Scotland Yard tweeted: "Off duty @MPSNewham Special Constable has sniffed out a covert camera recording the pin pad of this ATM in @MPSWestminster. This is why it is so important to #CoverYourPin when taking out cash."
Last year, police in the City of London found pin-point holes in false covers to cash machines around St Paul's were also recording customers entering their pins.
After that incident, PC Matt Clarke, from the City of London Police Crime Squad, said: "Take care and stay vigilant when using cash machines in the City of London, and London as a whole.
The camera is hidden behind this false front to the part of the machine which issues receipts. Photo / Supplied
Police removed the panel to reveal the camera hidden. Photo / Supplied
Last year, police in the City of London released similar images of well hidden devices. Photo / Supplied
The hidden camera. Photo / Supplied
"If you spot anything unusual about a cash machine, or if there are signs of tampering, don't use it. If in doubt, try and use a machine inside a branch."
How fraudsters can use your cards
Fraudsters have a number of methods to steal people's card details to use their money.
• First is a straight-forward theft of the card by picking people's pockets or distraction thefts. If they have already managed to find out the victim's pin, they can then spend thousands. But quite a lot can now be bought without the need for a pin.
• Secondly, criminals can use scanners to clone their victims' cards using skimmers attached to cash machines or touched against cards. Cards can be copied in moments and, if accompanied by a camera recording the user's pin, can be used in fraudster minutes later.
• Thirdly, the growing way of getting hold of credit card details is by stealing devices on which details are stored, such as computers, tablets or smartphones.
