Have you ever wondered how customers could slide their cards through and enter their PINs on a compromised payment terminal without even noticing? While some skimming schemes involve Bluetooth transmitters and require disassembling the device, installing a skimmer can be as simple as snapping an identical part over an existing card reader.
That’s what independent security reporter Brian Krebs saw recently: a skimmer pulled from a payment terminal at a Safeway store. You’ve probably used dozens of Verifone brand terminals just like it in your shopping life. The skimmer is very simple: it looks exactly like the parts of the device that it snaps over, only it captures users’ card numbers and PINs almost invisibly.
