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Skimming Crime at ATMs Declines Globally

Skimming Crime at ATMs Declines Globally

The downward trend in skimming crime at ATMs globally continues, thanks to the
introduction of chip cards, according to the European Association for Secure
Transactions.

In the first half of this year, worldwide card skimming incidents at ATMs sank
to the lowest total since EAST began tallying the data in 2004, the association
said.

The United States, where ATM operators and merchants only just began accepting
chip cards, was not included in the global report. However, the data suggest
that the U.S. could see a comparable drop in skimming as chip payment cards are
in wider use.

EAST said participating countries reported 1,221 card skimming incidents, down
22% from 1,573 in the first half of 2016. Losses due to skimming declined 32%to
96 million euros from 142 million euros globally, the group said.

EAST attributes the drop in skimming to widespread acceptance of Europay
MasterCard Visa (EMV) technology standards for chip cards.

The report, which EAST prepares twice a year, was based on statistics from 21
European countries with an estimated installed base of 373,453 ATMs. 
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