---
title: Bust Reveals How Global ATM Skimming Efforts Work
description: Ever wondered how a global ATM skimming ring does business? Here are a few bullet points on their coordinated efforts.
---

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# [Bust Reveals How Global ATM Skimming Efforts Work](https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/how-global-atm-skimming-efforts-work)

 Written by [SecureWorld News Team](https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/author/secureworld-news-team) | Fri | Dec 1, 2017 | 10:02 PM Z

We hear about these from time to time, sure.

But in this case, we gained some insights into how a now busted ATM skimming operation worked.

European crime-fighting agency Europol announced the bust which involved several countries and an island nation. They arrested ringleaders, brought in over 1,000 fake ATM cards and hauled in a bunch of Euros.

Of greater interest, however, is the coordination required to make this type of criminal operation work. Here are the bullet points:

- Criminals place technical equipment on ATMs in the central areas of European cities
- They used two types of skimming devices: micro cameras and magnetic strip readers
- Criminals capture this digital information and produce fake ATM cards
- ATM cards are placed in the hands of criminals outside of Europe
- These criminals made large ATM withdrawals in Belize, Indonesia, and Jamaica

And speaking of Jamaica, apparently, it is getting tired of being a hotbed for cashing out with stolen ATM cards. It recently refused entry for two men known to police as ATM scammers:

"In recent months, members of a Romanian criminal network have been fleecing millions of dollars from the accounts of individuals at ATMs across Jamaica. It has so far been confirmed that more than J$50 million has been stolen by the men," says [Jamaican News Online](http://rjrnewsonline.com/local/two-romanians-suspected-of-criminal-involvement-refused-entry-into-jamaica).

So now we know how much work these ATM scamming efforts take. And how lucrative the payday can be.

[View full post](https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/how-global-atm-skimming-efforts-work)

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